There are castles, about which a lot has been written, and you just have to choose from what has been written that suits you and retell it in your own words. There are castles about which little has been written, and then you yourself - if you, of course, happened to be next to one of them - convey in words what your eyes see. And it also happens that by chance you see this or that castle, but you can neither visit it, nor even take a picture of it, although information about it can be found if desired. So it was my lot to meet one such castle, and now there will be a story about it.
Castle of Saint Florentina. Bird's-eye view.
And it so happened that a high-speed electric train (aka the Barcelona metro) rushed me from the small resort town of Malgrat de Mar to Barcelona. Behind the windows flashed coastal beaches on the left, and on the right green hills and one after another coastal towns and hotels. "Canet de Mar" - said the voice of the announcer, and right there on the hill, among the greenery, jagged towers flashed. "Lock!" - I thought and decided to go to him.
This is how the castle looked at the end of the 19th century.
In theory, of course, it was necessary to get off here and go there, but when you are not resting alone and you have three women in your arms, such "exercises" belong to the realm of fantasy. On the way back, I saw this castle again, but I thought that it was somehow too new. "A remake, probably!" - I decided and the next day, going to him, I did not take a camera with me, fortunately and the weather was such that it could just rain.
The owners of the castle were distinguished by their belligerence and often fought with the Moors. However, they never succeeded in either besieging their castle or taking it by storm. That is, somehow he stayed away from the war all the time!
I walked through the city, climbed up to the main highway, saw a dirt (!) Road turning to the castle and, having passed along it, found myself in front of a building … of amazing beauty, standing right in the middle of a dense forest. And silence, as if it were happening in a fairy tale. Finally, I got a certain person to open the door for me, and we somehow explained. "Live here!" "Login and write about it!"; "No!"; "Only excursion!"; "How many?"; "500 Euro!"; "OOO! Why so expensive?"; "Live here. Free when music! "; “When is the music?”; "Not soon!" - "talked" in one word!
Entrance to the castle.
I walked around the castle from all sides, again regretted that I did not take the camera and went back. And then there was no opportunity to repeat this visit, and I once again remembered the saying that one should not postpone until tomorrow what can be successfully done today!
The gate to the castle. They are guarded by two stone lions.
But then I undertook a lengthy search for information on this castle, and here is what an interesting story in all respects I learned about it …
The first documentary sources tell us that back in the 11th century, on the site of an ancient Roman building there was a villa "Domus", owned by the knights Guadamir de Canet (1024) and Gilaber de Canet (1041), the latter being the king's majordomo Aragon Pedro IV Ceremonial. Only in the XIV century, under its owner Ferrera de Canet - Gilaber's great-grandson - Domus turned into a castle after he received permission from the king to build two towers with gates (1335 - 1346), which would protect the house from raids by pirates, who often plundered the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia. His son Arnaut managed to expand his land holdings, becoming related with the Besor and Monteschi families, and also built the chapel of St. Mary and the Eleven Thousand Virgins in one of the towers of his castle. According to the latest research, St. Paul Romager lived also not very far from this place and was considered its protector and patron. Then the building of the villa was set on fire by the rebellious peasants in 1430 (“men are men,” as one of the negative characters in the movie “The Last Relic” used to say), but then the owners of the castle restored it.
There is also a pool for the needs of the inhabitants of the castle, but it is located outside of it.
In the XVII century. the role of the castle in Canet de Mar increased even more due to the establishment of family ties with the families of Montaner Orlau and Montaner Bosch, so now navigation and even colonial trade were added to such occupations of its owners as agriculture and winemaking.
All locked roofs are tiled.
At the end of the 19th century, Luis Domenech y Montaner, one of the best architects of the modernist era, redeveloped and reconstructed the Castle of St. Florentina. Bright stained-glass windows on religious themes were placed in the windows, huge spaces of floors were covered with marble slabs and mosaics, coffered wood-carved ceilings were also painted, and ceramic tiles, sculptures and stone carvings were widely used to decorate the premises. The result is something that combines ancient medieval motifs, neo-Gothic and modernism, after which the Castle of St. Florentina gained great fame.
Courtyard and lawn.
Stained glass window outside.
Stained glass window from the inside.
In 1908, King Alfonso XIII of Spain accepted an invitation from Ramonda de Montaner to visit the castle and spent several days there with his courtiers and VIPs of that time. During this visit, the king bestowed upon Ramona de Montaner the title of Comte de Val de Canet. Well, today the castle of Santa Florentina continues to be a private property. Visits to the castle are possible only with excursions (the cost of a seven-hour excursion: 1-3 people 495 euros, 4-5 people 515 euros!) And on days when concerts and festivals of classical music are held there.
Upper gallery.
Lower gallery and courtyard.
The castle can be conditionally divided into three levels - "Lower level", "Central level" and "Upper floors and towers". There are two residential floors in the main part of the castle, plus four-storey towers. The total area of its premises is 3,000 square meters (so there is no way to do without a servant!), Around which there are also 200,000 square meters of adjacent territory (so a forester is also required there).
The stylish neo-gothic details of the castle, as well as the charming surroundings, give it a fantastic atmosphere.
The house can be accessed by climbing a wide staircase located in the courtyard, to the left of which there is a small chapel with magnificent stained glass windows.
The largest room of the castle is the huge State Hall with an impressive stone fireplace and the dining room following it. In addition, there are many other halls and rooms in it, located on these two floors of the main part of the building and in the four floors of the towers.
Fireplace in the State Hall.
View of the State Hall. And, of course, there was a picture with the Catalan flag here.
In the dining room, if you wish, you can set a table like this!
Watchtowers and chimney.
Gallery of the second floor.
The interior of one of the rooms of the castle.
A total of 15 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, which shouldn't be surprising at all. The castle was, of course, the home of its owner. But it was customary to receive numerous guests at the castle. It could be relatives with a retinue, and visiting troubadours, and merchants, and knights-neighbors, so that sometimes the castle was packed with people no worse than any other inn!
But this bathroom is decorated with colored majolica … Zhenya Lukashin would also gladly wash himself in such a bath for the New Year!
"Finnish plumbing" from the company "Vaccolo-Kakkolo" …
Bathroom. View in front of the bath.
View … from the bath!
In addition to the castle itself, there is a caretaker's house on the estate, and it also has four bedrooms and two bathrooms! Near the castle there is a swimming pool, a garden, a stable, a wine cellar (and how can it be without it!) And a large vineyard.
A truly royal bedroom.
Everything in it is made in crimson color, why would it be?
Each of the bedrooms, of course, has its own bathroom and spacious dressing rooms. In one of the towers there is a cozy study with a fireplace, in front of which you can pass the time pleasantly with a glass of local wine and a book in hand. Antique furniture, paintings, small plastics, ceramics and a flirty bathroom on the ground floor of this tower combine to form an architectural work of art.
Even the most insignificant detail of decoration in this castle is a real work of art.
Legend has it that the name of the castle of Santa Florentina comes from an ancient relic allegedly received from Pope Benedict XII by the noble Don Ferrer de Canet, who brought it here from Rome. But there is another opinion that its origin is connected with the name of Florentina Malatto - the beloved wife of Ramon Montaner - one of the owners of the castle. The castle was put up for auction at a price of "only" 14 million euros, along with the furnishings, but whether it was sold or not - it was not possible to find out, and the omniscient Internet does not report anything about this. What they put up - "yes, there is information", but how the matter ended - they keep mum!
The castle has not only antique, but also the most modern furniture …
But from the Internet you can definitely find out that in 1998 the castle of St. Florentina was included in the rating of the most beautiful houses in the whole world.
There is also a painting in the castle that depicts one important for the Catalans, but completely legendary event - the acquisition of the coat of arms of Aragon, when Charles II the Bald on the golden shield of Wifred I the Hairy ran his fingers four lines with the blood of Wifred himself before his death from the wounds he received during the siege Of Barcelona by Lobo ibn Muhammad, Moorish governor of Leida. Legend claims that this happened in 897, only Karl died 20 years before that! That is, Catalan patriotism - "Catalonia is not Spain!" the inhabitants of this castle, one might say, in the blood!
Let's go watch it …
And here it is - this historical picture!
