We invite you to explore the deep history preserved at Santa Maria del Palau. This site holds a sequence of human habitation that may have begun in the 2nd century BC. Some ceramic remains suggest the area served as a Roman villa, positioned near the ancient road connecting Empúries to Girona.
Observe the transition of architectural styles in the ruined church. Built with roughly hewn stones and well-carved cornerstones, the building dates to the 13th century and is considered an example of early Gothic or late Romanesque architecture. You can see the interior pointed vault, the double-arched window, and the remains of a side door.
While no systematic archaeological intervention has taken place to determine the site's chronology, it is believed the settlement remained inhabited until the Low Middle Ages, when it was abandoned as l'Escala began to be inhabited. Records from the late 13th century identify the chapel as Sancte Marie de Palacio. Today, the site is a consolidated complex located within the Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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