MILITARY ROUTE

The viscountcy of Cabrera was articulated through a network of castles and fortified houses, which were the seats of politic and military power for the nobility in the Middle Ages. This defensive system was supplemented by a number of walled-in villages and watchtowers

A square tower built in 1439 by Violant de Recs, the wife of Ramon de Vilanova, who ordered the defensive tower to be built based on the authorization of Sança de Ximenis and Isabel de Cabrera for the services of her father, Bernat de Recs.

This four-storey defensive tower has a sturdy appearance and nature, with the stonework uncovered. It was built of stone and rubble from fallen masonry, with large blocks on the corner sections. The sides of the tower are around 7 metres long and it is 15 metres high.

Its characteristic features include well-cut quarry stones, some trefoil Gothic windows and a number of embrasures, as well as some merlons that have been preserved on the southern façade, where the openings are round arches, while, on the northern façade, they are corbel or trefoil arches.

In the 19th century, the tower was used as a jail, and it is also known as the Prison Tower. In 1932, the water tank to supply the village was built on the first floor. It was demolished in the restoration process. Nowadays, the main door is on the ground floor but, originally, it was at the height of the first floor in the northern façade.