Castell de Tous

Castell de Tous is a medieval castle standing at the center of Sant Martí de Tous, in the Anoia region of Catalonia.

Where exactly is the castle located?

The building sits on the boundary between Anoia and Conca de Barberà, on a hill overlooking the village of Sant Martí de Tous. Today it survives as an extensively rebuilt fortified residence, listed as a Cultural Asset of National Interest (Bé Cultural d'Interès Nacional) under Catalan heritage law.

How far back does its history go?

The earliest references to Tous are tied to the repopulation of the Anoia valley after the Arab conquests. The area was reportedly taken in 880 by Count Guifré el Pelós, remembered as a founding figure of an independent Catalonia. The castle enters the written record more firmly in 960, when Count Borrell II of Barcelona and Osona granted it to the bishopric of Vic. Eight years later, in 978, Pope Benedict VII confirmed the donation with a papal bull, giving the property added legal weight.

Who controlled the castle over the centuries?

Under Bishop Oliba (1017–1046), the castle passed into the care of Guillem d'Oló, also known as Guillem de Mediona, who entrusted it to a castellan named Bernat de Tous. The Tous family took its name from him and stayed linked to the fortress for generations. The bishopric of Vic's authority over the castle ended in 1318, when the bishop ceded it to King James II. The Tous family nonetheless kept local control, and in 1347 Bernat de Tous bought full jurisdiction over the land for 12,000 sous.

Tous family rule ended in 1423, when the castle was sold to the Perellós family. A further sale followed in 1441, this time to the Saplana family. The turning point came in 1505: Isabel Saplana handed the castle to the Benedictine monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra. The Jeronymite monks held full civil, military and economic jurisdiction over it until Spain's church-property disentailment in 1835.

What does the castle's layout look like?

The castle was originally organized around two separate defensive enclosures. The upper enclosure housed the lords' residence, the domestic and representative quarters of the estate. The lower enclosure contained the parish church of Sant Martí, combining a military role with a religious one. The most recognizable surviving element of the original structure is a square tower, to which Gothic-era additions and later residential extensions were attached over the following centuries. Successive rebuildings have left a structure that blends a medieval stronghold with a later noble residence.

Why is it worth a visit?

Sant Martí de Tous sits along tourist routes through Anoia, near a trail of monasteries and castles across central Catalonia. The castle traces an unusually well-documented chain of ownership spanning more than a thousand years, passing between a bishopric, noble families, and a monastic community. Its square tower and two-enclosure layout make it possible to picture daily life at a small feudal seat of power on the border between Anoia and Conca de Barberà.

Frequently asked questions

When was the castle at Tous first mentioned? The area around the castle was taken as early as 880 under Guifré el Pelós, and the castle itself appears in documents from 960, when Count Borrell II granted it to the bishopric of Vic.

Who owned the castle before the 19th-century disentailment? From 1505 until 1835, the castle belonged to the Benedictine monastery of Sant Jeroni de la Murtra, whose monks held full jurisdiction over it.

What is the castle's most distinctive architectural feature? The square defensive tower from the original structure, later expanded with Gothic-era and subsequent residential additions.

What heritage protection does the castle hold today? Castell de Tous is registered as a Cultural Asset of National Interest (Bé Cultural d'Interès Nacional) in the Catalan heritage register.