Castell de Seta ruins on a hill near Balones

The castell de Seta, also known as castell de la Costurera, is a defensive castle in ruins located 2 km east of the municipality of Balones in the Comtat. It sits atop a hill in the Serra d'Almudaina. While human presence on this hill dates back to the Bronze Age with Roman occupation in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the castle is dated to the 11th century, and ceramic finds from the 12th century have been found in the area.

Historical records show that this castle and the castle of Xeroles were sold on 22 May 1258 to Golzalvo Ferrández de Medrano for 1200 besants. Later, on 4 April 1259, an order was given to Gonzalvo Ferrández, the alcaid of Cheroles, to collect the castle's yields. On 6 March 1270, Jaume I gave the properties of the castles of Xeroles and Seta to Bella and her son Roger de Llúria as a hereditary fief.

Today, the castle maintains a walled perimeter of a polygonal plan with six square towers built in masonry. Two towers at the top of the fortification were built over older towers. One of these towers is semicircular and reaches a height of 8 meters, representing the highest point of the castle. Adjoined to this semicircular tower is a quadrangular enclosure where the old church of Sant Francesc was likely located.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons