Besora Castle
Encyclopedia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
located in the Vall de Lord, in the municipality of Santa Maria de Besora
Santa Maria de Besora
Santa Maria de Besora is a municipality in the comarca of Osona inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the north side of the Bellmunt range in the north of the comarca. It islinked to Sant Quirze de Besora and to Vidrà by a local road...
, between Navès
Navès
Navès is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography:The Thoré forms most of the commune's north-eastern border, then flows into the Agout, which forms part of its northern border.-References:*...
and the Serra de Busa, in the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Solsonès
Solsonès
Solsonès is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of historic county of Urgell. Over 60% of its people live in the capital, Solsona.- Municipalities :Populations are for 2001.* Castellar de la Ribera - pop. 153* Clariana de Cardener - pop. 151...
in the province of Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The castle is built above a rocky spur at an altitude of 1,092 m, and was accessible only by a path from the north, duly fortified.. It is formed by three extended buildings, today converted into a rural dwelling in the local style, the masia
Masia
A masia , more commonly known as mas in Catalan , is a type of rural construction common to the Iberian Peninsula, particularly during the ancient Kingdom of Aragon which have their origins in the Roman villas...
.
History
The earliest historical mention of the castle is in the year 982, according to some sources or in 885; in either case it appears already cited in 875 in the donation of the dowry of Emma, daughter of Wilfred the HairyWilfred the Hairy
Wilfred or Wifred, called the Hairy, was Count of Urgell , Cerdanya , Barcelona , Girona , Besalú , and Ausona ....
, count of Barcelona, as a gift when she entered the monastery in Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Sant Joan de les Abadesses is a town and municipality located in the south-east of the comarca of Ripollès, in Catalonia.-Geography and climate:...
.
During the Muslim period, it was one of the castles used to watch the frontier with the Christian territories.
At the end of the ninth century, Wilfred the Hairy established military positions in Cardona
Cardona
Cardona is a town ìn Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona; about 90 km northwest of the city of Barcelona, on a hill almost surrounded by the river Cardoner, a branch of the Llobregat.Near the town is an extensive deposit of rock salt...
, Osona
Osona
County of Osona was one of the Catalan counties of the Marca Hispanica in the Early and High Middle Ages. It was based around the capital city of Vic and the corresponding diocese, whose territory was roughly the current comarca of Osona....
, Berguedà
Berguedà
Berguedà is a comarca in the interior of Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and partly in Catalonia's Depressió Central.-Geography:...
and in the Vall de Lord. Possibly the border of the county was then to the north of the city of Solsona
Solsona
Solsona can refer to:*Solsona, Lleida, a town in Catalonia, capital of the comarca of Solsonès;*Solsona, Ilocos Norte, a city in the Philippines...
, marked by the castle of Besora.
Parts of its walls are preserved, as a residential area. In addition, remains of the old parish church of Santa Maria de Besora
Santa Maria de Besora
Santa Maria de Besora is a municipality in the comarca of Osona inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the north side of the Bellmunt range in the north of the comarca. It islinked to Sant Quirze de Besora and to Vidrà by a local road...
, which was the parish church until the one in use now was built in 1759.
During the War of the Remences in the 15th century, the castle was occupied on various occasions by Francesc de Verntallat.
The castle suffered considerable damage, and was almost destroyed during the First Carlist War
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
in 1838, when it served as a refuge and a battlesite for a Carlist
Carlism
Carlism is a traditionalist and legitimist political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina , and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread...
force.. The royalist leader Buenaventura Carbó, who later served as governor of Cuba
Colonial heads of Cuba
List of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
, was forced to flee the castle and the parish..