The Castle of Rocha Forte, near the town of Santiago de Compostela, was active from its thirteenth-century construction until the fifteenth century, when it was badly damaged during the Irmandiño revolts. Today, the castle is in a state of ruin.
Located on the route connecting Santiago with Padrón and Noia, Rocha Forte was ideally situated to control the flow of people and goods in and out of Santiago. It also served as a convenient refuge for Santiago’s archbishops when they encountered trouble with the townspeople. Newly appointed archbishop Berengar of Landorra, for example, visited Rocha Forte during the 1318-1320 town uprising against him.
References & Further Reading
“Castelo da Rocha Forte.” Patrimonio Galego. 8 June 2011.
Cooper, Edward. La fortificación de España en los síglos XIII y XIV. Vol. 1. Madrid: Ministerio de Defensa, Marcial Pons Historia, 2014. 163-166.
Portela, Ermelindo, María Carmen Pallares, and Xosé Manuel Sánchez. Rocha Forte: El castillo y su historia. Xunta de Galicia, 2004.
Rocha Forte: Interactive website devoted to the castle of Rocha Forte, near Santiago de Compostela.
Sánchez Sánchez, J.M. “La fortaleza de Rocha Forte: un castillo concéntrico en las corrientes constructivas europeas del siglo XIV.” Compostellanum 52 (2007): 603-632.