The Citadel is a cultural asset of national interest (BCIN). It is a fortress built by the engineer Luis Pizaño in 1545 and finished by Calvi in 1553. It contains an archeological site in continuous research where the different historical occupations of the place can be known through the remains preserved from the s. iv BC, date of the founding of the Greek colony of Rhode, until the s. xx.
Inside the citadel, the old medieval walled circuit of the city of Roses is preserved, which was used to build the new citadel. These are the remains of walls and towers both in the first defensive enclosure of the late medieval period and in the later reforms and extensions of the late medieval period. In relation to the first enclosure, the remains of the Benedictine basilica of the monastery of Santa Maria de Roses and the elements that accompany it are also preserved.