A 13th-century house in the heart of woods and organic crop fields

CASA PERIQUES

Built in the 13th century, Casa Periques is 1.5 km from the town centre of Puig-reig and 90 km from Barcelona. Its 750-m2 premises is split over three floors, which have been fully refurbished while retaining their original structure and many of the house’s distinctive period features.

The ground floor has a Gothic room (110 m2), which consists of a living-dining room (100-m2) and a small area for caterings, connected with the courtyard and first floor. It also has a disabled access bathroom.

On the first floor there are two rooms (32 m2 and 37 m2). One of the rooms contains a kitchen (18-m2) with an open fireplace. There are three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a hall and a large courtyard (240-m2). There are also two arcades (24 m2 and 30 m2), with magnificent views of Montserrat Mountain, Puig-reig Castle and Balsareny.

On the second floor of the house there is a Gothic room (100-m2) with two bathrooms, a suite with a bathroom, and a bedroom with a small kitchen and bathroom.

The house exterior has a large and varied structure. There is a chapel in the north-east part of the house, devoted to the Virgin Carmen, and a spacious parking area. In the south part of the house there is a large area suitable for hosting events, with sufficient space to install a marquee if required.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Casa Periques is an interesting example of medieval architecture. The structure of the house is based on a type of construction known as “turres”, which emerged in Catalonia in the 12th century.

The house consists of an elaborate two-storey stone structure. The ground floor was originally designed to house animals and the upper floor was the family home, which enabled people living there to take advantage of the warmth emitted by the animals in the stables below.

This house was inhabited by Templars, followed by Sanjuanistas, and it ultimately became a country farm house, known in Catalonia as a “masia”.

In a purchase agreement dated 28 February 1197, the Ramon de Prat family, owners of Coma de Puig-reig (Casa Periques’ original name) sold the house to the Priest of Sant Martí de Puig-reig church. Subsequently, in the 13th and 14th centuries, a prestigious family from Puig-reig renamed the house Comes, and for many years the Comes family were the administrators of the Castle of Puig-reig. One member of this family was a member of the Knights Templar in the region. The Archbishop Arnau Cescomes, son of Puig-reig and a member of this family, ordered the house to be extended and Periques Bridge to be erected. Arnau Cescomes extended the house and started to build two other prominent Catalan farmhouses: la Vall de Vilaramó (Gaià) and Ubesa (Viver and Serrateix). Since 1212, Casa Periques has been documented as Sant Julià farmhouse, and in 1721 it was still known as “Mas de Sant Julià”. Currently, the house is known as Casa Periques.