Castelló de Rugat

History

The first testimonies of the occupation of the Castelló lands can be found at the Llopis and at La Cerradura caves dated at the Neolithic era. other rests of the same time were also found in many district places like L'Ofra, El Planet, La Loseta Etc. Some testimonies of the Valencian Bronze Age are the villages found at the Buitrera, Algebassó or Peña Blanca. About the Roman era, many sites were found all over the district, even should be distinguished for each quality and quantity the recent find of a Roman villa at the L'Ofra place. The Spanish Reconquista of this region was carry out by King James I of Aragon, it was no easy because of the important resistance put by the Muslim leader named Al Azraq whose troops even kill some king knights there. When the conquest was managed by the Christians this territories became part of the Rugat Baron properties given to Lord Bellvis till 1499, year in which were bought by the Duke of Gandia who keep a manor there, some parts of it still remain. Since then the town was named Castelló del Duc, the inhabitants were in the great majority moorish (moriscos), because of that in 1609 when King Felipe III sending off the moorish people from Spain, Castelló became underpopulated. Castelló remains in the Duke states till the nobility dominion abolition with the 1812 Cadiz Constitution.