Name Origins
The name la Seu d'Urgell, in Latin Sedes Urgelli, is formed by two different words: Seu from the Latin "Sedes", and Urgell a pre-Roman name. Joan Coromines, a linguist, interprets that the name is related to the presence of water.
The Iberian settlement of Arse-durgui (or Arse d'Urgui) was on the hill of Castellciutat. At that time the hill was called Puiolo Urgelli. Where there was the village of Arse-durgui they built the city of Urgell (in Latin civitas Orgellia and in Catalan ciutat d'Urgell) and here lies the origin of the name Castellciutat. Until the eighteenth century the town was known simply as "Ciutat" (City in English) and Castell (Castle) was added because the existence of an ancient castle that was home of the Counts of Urgell.
Shortly after the destruction of the former Orgellia it was created a new neighborhood, new home of the Diocese of Urgell, called vicus Sedes Urgelli denotes that the town is the episcopal see of the Bishop of Urgell.
Over time, Sedes Urgelli took importance and lost the word vicus (denotes that it was a district) while civitas Orgellia lost the word Orgellia and becomes simply Civitas until the 18th century.
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