Sights of Forallac

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The Peralta castle (Castell de Peralta) was supposedly built in the 12-13th centuries, while the first mentions of it date back to the 14th century. Based on that, the local historians assume that the castle had originally belonged to feudal lords from Cruīïlles and Peratallada.

Nowadays, the castle has fallen into a state of disrepair — the Forallac municipality has been dragging its heels on restoration. The facade with a second-floor semicircular arch, a part of the main tower, an external staircase and bits and pieces of the fortification walls are all that remains from the original structure.

To visit the ruins of the castle of Peralta, take the highway C-66 towards La Bisbal d’Empordà and take the exit towards Santa Susanna de Peralta. Just before reaching the old parish church, to your right, you will see a grouping of stone houses with an arch portal. Beyond the portal lie the ruins of the Peralta castle.

The building of the church of Sant Esteve de Canapost consists of three blocks, each dating back to a different time period. The central block was erected in the 9-10th century A.D. Between the 11th and 12th centuries, a bell tower and an additional nave joined the central block, on the southern and the northern sides, respectively. The unfinished facade of the main entrance is a construction dating back to the 18th century.

The church of Sant Esteve de Canapost is dedicated not only to Saint Stephen, as evident from its name, but also to Saint Cletus, the third Pope of Rome, who held the papal throne between 76 and 88 A.D.

As was customary at the time, some of the land next to the church was made into a cemetery. Between November 2004 and May 2005, archeologists conducted a dig here, discovering 85 graves and 18 sarcophagi dating back to Medieval times. Large quantities of ceramic pots and St James scallop shells were discovered next to the buried remains, evidently brought along by pilgrims who had walked the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago).

The parish church in the village of Santa Susanna de Peralta of the Forallac municipality was built in the 10-11th centuries. The original structure had only a singular nave and a semi-circular apse. As is often the case with Medieval churches, Esglesia Santa Susanna de Peralta has gone through several restorations: a bell tower was added in the 12-13th centuries, while the nave was widened and the facade renovated in the 17-18th centuries. “1791” is carved in stone above the door — that was the year of the latest major rebuilds. This splendid example of the Romanesque architecture is in excellent shape to this day thanks to the 1976-1977 restorations paid for by the government.