The stone slab dome of the Castell de Comiols

The Castell de Comiols is a castle in the municipality of Artesa de Segre, declared a cultural heritage site of national interest. The fortress was built to control the village, its surrounding territory, and the passage of the Col de Comiols, while establishing a relationship with the castles of the Segre plain, starting with the castle of Montmagastre. It is situated on a rocky ridge next to the deserted village of Comiols, where the church and the castle stand at opposite ends of the promontory.

The remains of the castle are reduced to the lower level of the master tower, which reaches a height of 5 to 6 meters. This circular space has an internal diameter of 4.2 meters and walls 1.6 meters thick. The lower space is covered by a dome made of stone slabs placed carefully in circles. Originally, this level was accessed through a small side opening in the dome. The walls are made of small stones, alternating with some slightly larger ones, well-arranged and united with lime mortar.

On the southern side of the first floor, a very narrow door survives only as the lower part of the jambs. At this level, there were also two hearths. Records show the castle was mentioned in 1010 in the endowment documents of the canonry of Sant Miquel de Montmagastre. By 1054, it appeared as ipsum castrum de Chomedols. It later belonged to the Cabrera family, the viscounts of Àger, before being sold to the monastery of Montserrat in 1537.

Nearby, the church of Sant Romà dates from the 11th century. It is a single-nave building with a peculiar twisted apse to the east. The nave is covered by a semicircular vault reinforced by three transverse arches. The church is well-maintained and in good condition, without remarkable transformations that alter its medieval structure.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons