Beyond speculations about whether the building was a mausoleum or a villa during the Roman era, the roman complex of Centcelles (Constantí) is unique for its 4th century mosaics. Exceptional architectural testament of the late-Roman period in Catalonia, since the year 2000, it has been included in the set of monuments of the ancient Tarraco which were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The oldest remains of Centcelles are from a small rural building from the 2nd -1st Century BC, which later became a magnificent villa with a baths complex. The most notable area is the closed circular room with a dome where the mosaics are found. These are considered to be the oldest Christian-themed dome mosaics of the Roman world and are exceptional for their good state of preservation. They represent several scenes, organised into three areas: a hunt on the lower section, biblical scenes from the Old and the New Testament in the central part and figures of the four seasons at the top.
From the study of these mosaics and mural paintings, one could think that the villa was a mausoleum. Even so, its interpretation is still uncertain. The first hypothesis of the researchers suggested that the mosaics made reference to the tomb of Constant, son of the Emperor Constantine the Great. More recent researches, however, think that Centcelles was the late Roman villa of a notable person in the ecclesiastical or civil hierarchy.
- During the visit to the monument, you will travel to the ancient Roman Empire through an audiovisual display to discover the secrets of this villa.
- Various educational activities bring children to Centcelles and invite them to interpret and appreciate its mosaics.
January, February, November and December:
Weekdays: from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 3 pm to 5.30 pm
Sundays and public holidays: 10 am - 2 pm
March, April, May and October:
Weekdays: from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 3 pm to 6 pm
Sundays and public holidays: 10 am - 2 pm
June, July, August and September:
Weekdays: from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm
Sundays and public holidays: 10 am - 2 pm
Mondays: closed
Closed: 1st January, 1st May, 25th and 26th of December. Local holidays: 20th January and 1st August.
Normal admission: € 2.50
Reduced admission: € 1.50
People aged 65 or more, pensioners, the holders of the Youth Card, students with International Student Card, those possessing the large family or parent, no tourist groups of 10 or more people by appointment. If this is a group where some members are entitled to free entry can continue to enjoy this reduction
Entrance free:
Persons under 16 years, the unemployed, the members of ICOM (International Council of Museums) and ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments), duly accredited, the members of the Association of Museum of Catalonia duly accredited, those professional tour guides, duly accredited, people of formal education teachers accredited by the management of the school in carrying out their work, the press duly accredited professionals, in the exercise of their work, have communicated in writing their visit, people with disability certificate. The accompanying rate will also free if the accreditation card identifies the person accompanying need
Monumental complex of Centcelles
Afores s/n
43120 Constantí
Tel. 977523374