Sitges History From the Beginning to 1700
In the Sitges History it is known that the first settlers of Sitges were nomads who lived by hunting and fishing. A Neanderthal jaw found in the Cova del Gegant in the 1950’s dates back 53,200 years and is one of the oldest human remains in Catalonia.
The archaeological remains found in the vicinity of the Parish and town hall, show that the area was occupied continuously from the sixth century BC to the first century AD. Excavations show that there was a Roman villa in the Vinyet area between the first and third century AD.
The meaning of the name Sitges (“sitja” in Catalan), comes from silos, deep pits in the ground used for grain storage and suggests this could have been an area where these underground silos were frequent.
In the eleventh century AD there was a castle in Sitges however there are no visible remains and its site is where the town hall stands today. Other small castles were built in the same century throughout the territory of Penedés and Garraf and hamlets grew around them in Olivella, Cubelles, La Geltrú and Ribes.
The castle of Sitges, the fortified towers & stables of Miralpeix, Campdàsens and Les Botigues de Sitges were under the control of Ribes castle whereas the castle of Garraf was under the rule of Eramprunyà castle. What is today the municipality of Sitges, was never governed under a single feudal lord.
During the Middle Ages when the castle was built in Sitges it was owned by the bishopric of Barcelona, which later ceded it to count Mir Geribert (1041). In the 12th century the town fell under the rule of the Sitges family.
The latter held it until 1308, when Agnes of Sitges sold the town to Bernat de Fonollar, after whose death it went to the Pia Almoina, a charitable institution, to which it belonged until 1814.
Conclusion to Sitges History
There’s so much about Sitges history and the above is just a snippet of it. Do you have anything further to add about Sitges history? Leave your comments below.