Archaeological interventions uncover the site of the Visigothic monastery of Magrigul
This Saturday, the presentation of the discovery of the site of the Visigothic monastery of Magrigul took place in the church of Santa Maria de la Ciutadella, a complex of which until now there were only documentary references, and whose existence has now been confirmed thanks to the archaeological campaign carried out in recent years. The intervention carried out in the Mas de Montjoi de Baix area has uncovered two Visigothic churches and several tombs.
The presentation event was attended by Larry Williams Pi-Sunyer, owner of the farmhouse; archaeologists Marcel Pujol, Xavi Aguero and Gemma Vieyra; the director of the Cap de Creus National Park, Montserrat Pascual; the director of the Territorial Cultural Services, Maria Isabel Bernal; and, closing the event, the mayor of Roses, Josep M. Martínez.
Historical and archival information spoke of the existence of a monastery in the Visigothic period (between the 7th and 8th centuries) at Mas de Montjoi, which has now been confirmed thanks to the archaeological intervention carried out.
Church 1. This is a church with a rectangular nave and an added semicircular apse. It also has a small portico on the south facade and a small sacristy.
A series of tombs appeared around it, children's next to the south side of the apse and adults on the north side. The two children's burials have been dated to the 9th century, so it would be a pre-Romanesque church of the Carolingian and Count period. The adult burial dates to the first half of the 7th century and would place us chronologically in the Visigothic period.
Church 2. The building is razed, almost to the foundation, and plundered. The preserved plan clearly shows that it is a church, with a rectangular nave and an apse in a horseshoe or overhanging arch. This church dates back to the Visigothic period and was not rebuilt with the Carolingian conquest.
The Mas de Montjoi de Baix
In 2020, August Pi i Sunyer's great-grandson, Larry Williams Pi-Sunyer, bought the Mas de Montjoi de Baix to establish his residence there and recover the family bond with Roses.
The farmhouse was in ruins and a rehabilitation project was commissioned. Due to the level of protection of the Mas and the Tower as Cultural Assets of Local Interest (BCIL), in 2021 the study of graphic documentation and historical research began and later the archaeological interventions until 2026, under the direction of Dr. Marcel Pujol i Hamelink, Xavier Aguelo i Mas, and the restorer Cristina Sánchez Jiménez, together with a team of archaeologists, conservators-restorers and an anthropologist.
Historical information, based on archival documentation referring to the site of the Mas, can be divided into three periods: the most recent period of the Mas between the 17th and 20th centuries, with an agricultural function; the castle known as Magrigul, Magrivil or Magirol, between the 12th and 15th centuries, with the existence of a church next to the castle in the 12th century; and further back in time, there was knowledge of the existence of a monastery in the Visigothic period (between the 7th and 8th centuries).
Next steps
Archaeological interventions and studies will now continue to investigate whether there was a third church of the Visigothic monastery, as stated in the documentation, as well as more information and what uses each of those that have appeared had.
