Olèrdola
(Alt Penedès, Catalonia)
Olèrdola, located 50 km southern Barcelona, stands as an example of organizational policy of the new conquered area, the Penedès. At the beginning of the 10th century it had been incorporated into the county of Barcelona, having as a main building the castle and the parish church of Sant Miquel. This church had eight smaller churches (including Santa Maria) scattered throughout a big terminus castralis around 200 km2.
The medieval civitas of Olèrdola is located on the top of a geostrategic hill. It is organized into two areas: a main area inside the roman and medieval walls and an extensive outer neighborhood. Both spaces are endowed with a church, a cemetery and several agricultural, livestock and housing structures. It is dated from the 9th century to the early 12th century. The pre-Romanesque church of Sant Miguel that is located in the upper part of the enclosure had parish functions. It was built over a previous 9th century necropolis. Outside of the walls, the church of Santa Maria with a cemetery and the urban settlement is located. Both churches are landmarks since they are visible from a long distance.
The written documentation regarding the churches has been contrasted with the recent archaeological excavations at Sant Miquel (project for the restoration of the church, 2005-2008) and at Santa Maria, which has work in progress, in the framework of the ECLOC project / Ecclesiae, coemeteria et loci (saec VIII-XI). These actions have allowed to carry out an in-depth study of the construction and chronology of both churches, the necropolis around and its role in the urban articulation in a border place.
REFERENCES:
MOLIST, N., ESTEVE, X. y RIPOLL, G., Olèrdola (Baix Penedès). Urbanisme de la ciutat altmedieval, Tribuna d’Arqueologia 2017, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona (2018), 158-182. http://calaix.gencat.cat/handle/10687/310467
MOLIST, N., RIPOLL, G. y ESTEVE, X., Olèrdola (Barcelona). Sant Miquel and Santa Maria and their interaction with the medieval civitas and the castral territory, European Association of Archaeologists / EAA / Annual Meeting in Barcelona (5-9 September 2018) (Session 506: Archaeology of rock-hewn sites and quarries: people, stones and landscapes) (POSTER) (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29500.28802).
MOLIST, N., RIPOLL, G. y ESTEVE, X., The medieval necropolis of Pla dels Albats, Olèrdola (Barcelona). First results, European Association of Archaeologists / EAA / Annual Meeting in Barcelona (5-9 September 2018) (Session 506: Archaeology of rock-hewn sites and quarries: people, stones and landscapes) (POSTER) (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.27822.56644).
ESTEVE, X., MOLIST, N., RIPOLL, G., PECCI, A., FARRÉ, J. y PEÑA, Y., Medieval rock-cut wine presses and cellars in Olèrdola (Barcelona). A recent discovery, European Association of Archaeologists / EAA / Annual Meeting in Barcelona (5-9 September 2018) (Session 506: Archaeology of rock-hewn sites and quarries: people, stones and landscapes) (POSTER) (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26144.84485).
PECCI, A., DEPALMAS, A., ESTEVE, X., FARRÉ, J., MILETO, S., MOLIST, N., PEÑA, Y., RIPOLL, G., VIDALE, M. y ZIFFERERO, A., Producción y consumo de vino. Un viaje entre química y arqueología en el Mediterráneo occidental, CRUE Universidades Españolas, Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología y el Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Exposición: Campus Vivo. Investigar en la Universidad, Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, A Coruña, 2018 (POSTER).
N. MOLIST, G. RIPOLL & X. ESTEVE, “Civitas Olerdola. Un nou projecte de recerca vol donar a conèixer el creixement urbà medieval”, Auriga, 73, 2015, 37-41. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323869815_N_MOLIST_G_RIPOLL_X_ESTEVE_Civitas_Olerdola_Un_nou_projecte_de_recerca_vol_donar_a_coneixer_el_creixement_urba_medieval_Auriga_73_2015_37-41
MOLIST, N. (ed.), 2012, De Sanctus Michaelis a Sant Miquel. L’església de Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola del segle X al XXI, Ajuntament d’Olèrdola-Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya-Olèrdola, Catàleg de l’exposició, Barcelona.
MOLIST, N. y BOSCH, J.M., 2012, El cementiri medieval de Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola (Olèrdola, Alt Penedès), in N. MOLIST & G. RIPOLL (eds.), Arqueologia funerària al nord-est peninsular (segles VI-XII), Monografies d’Olèrdola 3.2, Barcelona, 469-494.
Gisela Ripoll
Supervision: Gisela Ripoll (ERAAUB/UB)