Cist of the Coll de the Creu del Principi

The grave cist of the Creu de Principi was discovered in 1986 because it is mentioned in the consecration act of Sant Julià de Ribelles in 947. This megalithic sepulchre is located 1020 metres above sea level and is the first found in the area of the Alta Garrotxa. The place forms a part of the northern slope of the Bassegoda hills and is located in a limestone terrain, between the Salarsa and Sant Bartomeu hills. The pentagonal tomb is made of 5 limestones (measuring approximately 110 cm. x 85 cm. x 75 cm.). Of these, three are anchored to slots made in the rock. The tomb was covered by an earth mound with a circular ring of large rocks around the chamber, more than 7 metres in diameter. This grave, for its architecture, could date from the middle Neolithic (3500-2700 B.C.), even though little ceramic material was found. It seems that the people that built the cist of the Creu de Principi understood and practiced agriculture and had livestock and, this discovery, together with the recent work of La Pólvora cave, give investigators the impression there was a prolonged presence of humans in the area during the seasonal periods.