The Castle of Castellar

The castle belongs to the municipal district of Aguilar de Segarra and forms part of a collection of historical buildings along with the parish church of Sant Miquel de Castellar, the rectory and the mill.

The base of the construction is formed by a practically circular slab of natural rock from which the castle rises up. The very rustic building is made of stone with thick, solid walls perforated by high asymmetric windows and several arrow slits in the lower parts. The entrance portal with its voussoir arch opens to the east at the top of the coastal slope, and has an observation tower from which it is possible to see the village and the mill.

The building is a gothic castle which, apart from fulfilling a military function has also been a farmhouse and has consequently undergone numerous modifications and uses. Its oldest element is the tower, of which two walls remain. This tower must have been built during the period of the reconquest and feudalisation of the region under the dominion of the Lords of Castellar of Castellar (11-13th centuries).

The building has three storeys. The ground floor which, in addition to the tower walls, conserves two grand halls, one with a semi-circular arch and the other with gothic arcades, which were probably commissioned by the medieval clan of the Grevalosas (13-17th centuries). The bailey may be found in this part of the castle, together with the staircase leading to the first floor. This storey must have been modified by the Amat family between the 17th and 19th centuries but especially in the 18th, as it has a lintel dating back to 1774. The large bay window opening to the east and the observation tower below it served as a setting, being the spot where lords of the castle stood for their investiture and where the vassals, housed in the observation tower, swore their Oath of Fealty. There is a rooftop terrace on the second floor.