Siurana castle stands at the edge of the cliff, at around 748 m elevation, guarding the only natural access to the village. Of Andalusi origin (8th-9th centuries), it functioned as a hisn, a military fortification controlling the territory, and was the last Muslim fortress of Nova Catalunya, conquered in 1153-1154 by the forces of Count Ramon Berenguer IV after a long siege. It has walls up to 3.6 m thick in the lower enclosure and 12th-13th-century Christian modifications, with an upper enclosure holding a tower (about 3 m of surviving height) and a barrel-vaulted hall, and a lower rocky platform with storage silos and cisterns.
After the conquest, the castle passed through the hands of several nobles and, from 1174, its bailiwick belonged to a succession of Catalan queens, who held it as part of their dowry; it also served as a high-security prison: Charles II of Anjou was held here (1286-1288) along with his sons Louis and Robert (until 1295) — that Louis went on to become a Franciscan and was later canonized as Saint Louis of Toulouse. The castle was still in use during the 1462 Catalan Civil War, but Philip IV ordered it demolished in 1651 following the Reapers' War, and Napoleonic troops caused further damage in 1812.
Little stands today, but the setting is dramatic and the site is protected as a national cultural heritage asset. It carries the legend of the "Moorish Queen's Leap" (Salt de la Reina Mora): Abdelazia, daughter of the Wali of Siurana, is said to have thrown herself off the cliff on horseback rather than surrender to the Christian attackers, and a hoofprint said to be hers is still pointed out in the rock. Guided visits can be arranged through the Cornudella de Montsant tourist office.
- Best forhistory, photography, hiking
- OpeningRuïnes en accés lliure a l'aire lliure.
- AddressExtrem est del poble de Siurana, 43362 Cornudella de Montsant
Imatge: Arnaucc · CC BY-SA 3.0 es · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: ca.wikipedia.org · catalunyamedieval.es · turismepriorat.org
Last updated: August 2026