Santa Creu de Rodes

The deserted village of Santa Creu de Rodes is located near the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, in the municipality of Port de la Selva (Alt Empordà).



It is an abandoned population center that is in ruins. This place is known thanks to its parish church of Santa Helena de Rodes, which has been heard of since 974.



The progressive abandonment must have begun due to the serious episode of Black Death suffered in 1345 and that also affected the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. Traditionally it is accepted that already in the thirteenth century it suffered an important depopulation as a result of the participation of a good part of the population in the conquest of Mallorca, they stayed. In 1572 the church of Santa Creu de Rodes (which by that time had already changed to Santa Helena) lost its parish status, which indicates that the place had to be practically uninhabited.



In addition to the well-known church of Santa Creu de Rodes, which is the only building that is preserved in relatively good condition, the interest of the place lies in the fact that it was enclosed by a wall, of which some vestiges are still preserved, especially in terms of two portals: the Tramuntana and the Migdia. The rest of the buildings are limited to stone walls among the vegetation.

Rik Gabriëls