Roman villa of Centcelles

It is a rustic Roman villa built in the Imperial Period (1st - 2nd century AD), renovated in the 3rd century and converted in the 4th century in a funerary monument to house the tomb of an important personality, possibly the Emperor Constans. After its abandonment at the end of late antiquity, the building first becomes a church, then a hermitage and, later, a country house. After a careful restoration, the monument has been included in the Roman archaeological ensemble of Tarraco, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.

The building that can be seen today is of rectangular shape and measures 90 meters long. The complex is composed of two large rooms, one square and the second circular, flanked by roman baths. The mausoleum occupies the second room, 10.7 meters in diameter and 13.6m height.

Highlights

✔ The dome of the central hall, decorated with a exceptional polychrome mosaic, depicting scenes of hunting and biblical scenes. The mosaic is considered as the oldest Christian-themed in the world.