In a truly exceptional location that is right in the centre of the city of Lleida stands the monumental complex of the hill of the Seu Vella. It is comprised of different buildings: the Seu Vella or old cathedral, the Castle of the King or Suda, the military fortification that surrounds the site and various archaeological remains that help us understand the present.
The volumes and profiles that it generates are an overview of the history of Lleida and the hill in particular. The strategic position of this hill, rising from a flat landscape and well communicated in all directions as well as the proximity of the River Segre, has resulted in uninterrupted occupation since ancient times. It is very likely that the Iberian Iltirta, the Roman Ilerda and the Muslim Larida lie under its subsoil, as well as the excellent gothic quarter that was growing majestically in medieval times. The Seu Vella and the Castle of the King are the most outstanding evidences.
Irreparable losses and undesirable applications would come with modern times and European-wide wars, when the entire hill would be desolated and in its place a military fortification that would gradually be built. The only two buildings that were not demolished, the cathedral and the castle, were transformed into gloomy military barracks, a use that would unfortunately last until 1948. Then a slow and encouraging restoration work began that is still underway.