Sant Joan Sescloses is one of those places in Alt Empordà that go largely unnoticed, but that have a lot of history.
It is a small isolated church, surrounded by fields and old wetlands, near Castelló d'Empúries and within the municipality of Peralada.
What is most striking is that its origins date back, at least, to the early Middle Ages, and there could be remains of an even older history.
A little history:
Around the year 780: according to historical hypotheses, Abbot Àtal would have revitalized small religious communities in this area.
Year 866: it is already documented as a monastic cell dependent on the monastery of Sant Esteve de Banyoles.
Year 1064: the bishop of Girona consecrated the church and its parish function was consolidated.
Year 1596: it lost its parish status and was linked to Santa Maria de Castelló d'Empúries.
20th century: the building, which had been badly damaged, was repaired after the Civil War.
During cleaning work in 1969, pre-Romanesque elements hidden under the plaster were discovered. A fragment of white marble with reliefs was also found that could belong to a paleo-Christian sarcophagus.
Historians raise the possibility that there was a late Roman mausoleum on the site or nearby, but this has not been proven. It is an interesting archaeological clue, not proof that there was a Roman settlement there.
