Vila-sacra Castle or Abbot's Palace Verified listing

Border castle first documented in 1240. It is also known as the abbey since the Sant Pere de Rodes religious community once resided there. Abbot Ponç from the Benedictine monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes bought the castle from Gilabert de Cruïlles in 1240. Work to adapt the castle to the monastery started in 1794, but French troops sacked it in 1797. Monks from the Sant Pere de Rodes monastery moved here a year later. In 1809, when King Joseph Bonaparte ordered the removal of all religious orders, the community was dissolved. The monks returned to the castle in 1814 and then moved to Figueres in 1818. With the Ecclesiastical Confiscation of Mendizábal, the estates passed into the hands of the State. The Vila-sacra abbot’s palace included the house, the corral, and the orchard, which was auctioned off and purchased by Ignacio Salleras.