The toponym Rocafort prevailing for the castle and parish

The Castell de Rocafort sits on a small hill in the village of Rocafort de Bages, Catalonia, where it serves as the origin of the village. Cataloged as a Bé Cultural d'Interès Nacional, the site's history dates back to 909, when it was first mentioned in a deed of sale as "Palau de Vesa" in the valley of Néspola. This area was originally part of a larger territory that split into three separate terms at the end of the 10th century. By 1022, the name "Rokaforte" appeared, and while the ancient name faded, the parish retained the name Palau de Vesa until the beginning of the 12th century.

The castle was owned by the Rocafort family, who were prominent lords of the lineage. In 1281, Umbert de Rocafort sold the domain to Berenguer de Sitjar. After the Sitjar family held the castle for over half a century, Pere de Sitjar became the last lay lord. Following his death in 1348, his widow, Guillema Nerell, commissioned the sculptor Berenguer Ferrer to create a sarcophagus and restored the castle chapel. In 1377, she bequeathed the castle to the monastery of Sant Benet de Bages. The monastery maintained jurisdictional authority over the area until the abolition of jurisdictional lordships in 1835.

Archaeological research conducted in 2013 revealed that the castle featured a sovereign enclosure of 535 m2, a lower enclosure of 475 m2, and a defensive ditch between 7 and 8 meters deep. The most visible remains consist of a wall on the south side with a thickness of 85 cm, featuring a square opening that likely served as a window. Another wall fragment remains nearby, while a stone wall extends towards the west. While the castle was destroyed during the Catalan Civil War, the remnants of the wall show different masonry styles, with smaller stones at the top suggesting a later remodeling. There are no traces of the tower that was intended to stand at the highest point of the hill.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons