Porta Ferrada Monastery facade, in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Girona, Costa Brava

Located in the center of the village, and close to the seafront, the monastery appears documented in the tenth century, when it was founded under the patronage of Sant Feliu, an African martyr. It is located inside an ancient fortress where archaeological remains have been found that are exposed to the public at the City Museum, also located in the complex.

External view of the towers in the architectural site Porta Ferrada, in Sant Feliu de Guíxols

The monastery itself, as today appears to us, was built in the eleventh century, although the current Baroque style comes from the work on the old building in the eighteenth century. The particularity of its facade, composed of three horseshoe-shaped arches, supported by four cylindrical columns, give the whole its catalan name Porta Ferrada (horseshoe-shaped door), and it’s the main symbol of this beautiful village, and also gives its name to the most famous music festival held every summer in Sant Feliu de Guíxols. On either side are two medieval defensive towers: Smoke Tower (Torre del Fum, of semicircular plant from which centuries ago were emitted smoke signals by sentinels to surroundings to warn about the arrival of enemies, mainly pirates by sea) and the Horn Tower (Torre del Corn, of rectangular plant and from where this instrument was rung with the same warning goal).

Torre del Fum (Smoke Tower) in Porta Ferrada Monastery, Sant Feliu de Guíxols

The Sant Benet Arch (Benet is Benedict Saint), of 1747, is facing the whole and was during many centuries the main entrance to the architectural site.

Sant Benet Arch, old entrance to the Porta Ferrada Monumental Site

The interior of the building has the Museum of History of the City, the Municipal Archives and the headquarters of the Official School of Tourism of Catalonia. The museum, a visit to it is highly recommended to admire the rest of the houses of monumental site, is composed of four rooms showing permanent exhibitions.

Thanks to the initiative of Baroness Thyssen, Carmen Cervera, it is expected that in the future the monastery hosts part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, specifically the Catalan Art works corresponding to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, approximately 350. Not to forget the close relationship of the Baroness with Sant Feliu, where she owns a magnificent villa. This news, announced in 2008, will increase the overall artistic prestige of this ancient architectural site, an inexcusable visit for those wishing to explore the medieval architectural heritage of the Costa Brava.

Peralada Castle, near Figueres, Costa Brava

During the French invasion and Ampurdán crusades, in 1285, at the same time when the battle took place in Formigues Islands, the castle was completely destroyed by the troops of Philip III of France and the town burned. In fact, the village still keeps the remains of the ancient castle in the center. Therefore, in the middle XIVth century, a new one was built, which has been renovated on several occasions.

Gardened cloister in Peralada Castle, Girona, Costa Brava

The castle has an impressive heritage. Inside you’ll find the Gothic church of Carme, in whose tympanum is a sculpture of the Madonna and Child surrounded by angels, and its magnificent cloister garden. On the capitals are carved a shield with the symbol of the population (a pear), and other Carmelite emblem.

Noble Peralada Rocabertí family army shield

The castle library is one of its main attractions. Since the castle was bought by owners on a high bibliophile inclination, the library has a collection comprising some 80,000 volumes, including 200 incunabula, very rare or exclusive 700 copies, 800 nobility titles, etc. The existing document archive, a collection drawn from IXth century is also very important. But certainly this library excels in the collection of works of the great spanish writer Cervantes, with more than 5,000 copies of the great Castilian author, including 1,000 different editions of The Quixote, in 33 languages.

Peralada Castle Library

Peralada Castle also hosts the Wine Museum, located partly in the cellars of the Carmelite convent: a large exhibition that showcases more than 750 objects related to the wine world, some from the XIVth century.

Big barrel exhibed in Wine Museum in Peralada Castle, Girona, Costa Brava

Finally, the Museum of Glass (which also contains a collection of ceramics) is the most important of its kind in Spain. It exhibits over 2500 pieces ranging from Pharaonic Egypt to the XIXth century, through Venice items, Silesia, Bohemia and La Granja de San Ildefonso (the glass factory of the King of Spain, Segovia). In ceramic materials the Museum exhibits, among other valuable pieces, lovely grave goods comprised not only lar polls but also buckles, pins, rings, spears, etc. coming from VIth century B.C. and that some former owners of the Castle found when working on the refurbishment of the gardens.

All these museums are visitable and you should also know that the Castle staff organizes guided tours throughout the year, in order to show the private interior rooms to the visitors.