Roses, Spain

Roses (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈrɔzəs]; Spanish: Rosas, [ˈrosas]) is a municipality in the comarca of the Alt Empordà, located on the Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain.

Roses is the site of the former bishopric of Rotdon, now a Latin Catholic titular see. It is situated on the coast at the northern end of the Gulf of Roses, and is an important fishing port and tourist centre. The C-260 road links the town with Figueres.

The GR 92 long distance footpath, which roughly follows the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, has a staging point at Roses. Stage 3 links northwards to Cadaqués, a distance of 21.7 kilometres (13.5 mi), whilst stage 4 links southwards to the El Cortalet pond in the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, a distance of 16.3 kilometres (10.1 mi).

The origins of Roses are disputed. According to classical sources, it was founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonists from Rhodes and was called Rhode (Ancient Greek: Ῥόδη) and Rhodus (Ῥόδος) and Ῥοδίπολις/Ῥόδη πόλις.

It seems more probable that it was founded in the 5th century BC by Greeks from Massalia (Marseilles), perhaps with an admixture of colonists from neighbouring Emporion (today's Empúries). Remains of the Greek settlement can still be seen.

Remains from the Roman period go back to the 2nd century BC and continue well into Christian times with a paleochristian church and necropolis. After the collapse of Roman power the town seems to have been abandoned, but a fortified settlement from the Visigothic period has been excavated on the nearby Puig Rom.

The mediaeval town grew around the monastery of Santa Maria de Roses (mentioned since 944). Its jurisdiction was shared by the abbots of Santa Maria de Roses and the counts of Empúries. In 1402 the county of Empúries was incorporated into the Crown of Aragon and Roses acquired the right to organize its own municipal government and economy.

In the first decades of the 16th century, Roses suffered repeated attacks by privateers from North Africa. To counter the threat, Charles V ordered the construction of extensive fortifications, the Ciutadella, in 1543. In spite of the precautions, a naval squadron led by the Turkish admiral Barbarossa attacked and plundered the town some months later. After substantial revisions, the fortifications were completed in 1553, under Charles's son Philip II. The entire medieval town was enclosed by a bastioned pentagonal wall (illustration, below).