Medinaceli, what to see in the historic town of Soria with a Roman arch

One of the most spectacular moments when crossing the Soria province along the A-II highway is when you can distinguish the silhouette of medinaceli crowning a steep slope.

In this profile his roman arch, the unique with three arches that is preserved in Spain.

It is likely that at some point, from the highway, you have thought that it was worth taking a detour to see medinaceli, which is certainly one of the towns with the most history and character in all of Soria.

Actually medinaceli It is a good destination in itself and one of the most interesting stages that we can do on a trip of a few days through the Soria province., which I can confirm to you after the experience of our visit.

Many times visit to Medinaceli is combined with that of the nearby monastery of Santa María de Huerta, also in Soria, but very close to the border with the province of Zaragoza, and which is also easily reached after a short detour from the highway.

Indeed, medinaceli It is one of the towns with the most history in all Castilla y Leon, and this is due to its privileged location.

Curiosities of the history of Medinaceli

As has already been said, it crowns a steep, easily defendable hill, a place from which the communication routes that cross the center of the Peninsula have always been controlled.

medinaceli is at the exact point to master the simplest step among the Duero and Ebro basins, and practically also with the of the Tagus.

All the civilizations that have dominated the Peninsula have left their mark here for that reason.

Many centuries ago the place was occupied by a celtiberian fort who put up a lot of resistance to the Romans.

It is probably the Ocilis what he talks about Appian in his chronicles about conquest of Hispania.

El triumphal arch It is proof of the pride that it meant for the Romans dominate this enclave.

The silhouette of the arch dominates the entire area, which was crossed by a branch of the road that linked caesaraugusta with toletum.

Here also rose a muslim citadel for the same reason in the place that was known as Medina Selim.

From Medinaceli it is possible to start an interesting excursion through the so-called Watchtowers Route that dot the valley that best allows the passage between the Ebro y the Duero and that leads by rello and other interesting towns towards the area of Gormaz, Berlanga y The Burgo de Osma.

Legend has it that around the year 1000 he died here. almanzor, the leader who de facto dominated the territories of the Caliphate of Córdoba, and that he was buried somewhere nearby and that he has always been surrounded by mystery.

After the Christian conquest, medinaceli It was a strategic point on the border between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.

At the end of the 15th century, Isabel the Catholic created the Duchy of Medinaceli, one of the most important titles of the Spanish nobility, a reflection of the importance that this town had at that time and the large area of ​​land that it dominated.

These extended over a good part of the current provinces of Soria and Guadalajara.

This is the experience of visiting Medinaceli, the best thing to see

Currently, next to the highway and a section of the old N-II, the San Juan neighborhood, Where is he Town Hall and it seems that the life of the present develops medinaceli.

But probably our steps go directly towards the historic helmet, the one at the top of the hill.

The road climbs the steep ridge through sharp curves and it is clear that it was a very difficult town to attack.

Ermita del Humilladero

This road continues towards Soria via Almazán, and just at the point where we leave the Soria road to enter Medinaceli, we will see the Ermita del Humilladero.

It is a small and attractive construction where travelers stopped when entering or leaving the town to thank or request a trip without incident.

We soon arrived at historic helmet and the first thing we will see is the roman arch. A few meters away there is a plot of land prepared as a parking lot. medinaceli It is small in size and must be explored on foot.

A few meters away we will see the Tourist Office, which opens every day of the week and provides information for our visit. In this area we will also find several bars and restaurants.

One of the wonders of visiting places like medinaceli It is walking aimlessly and finding interesting and attractive places by surprise.

But it is also possible to walk following the map provided by the aforementioned tourist office and thus be sure that we do not miss anything.

Roman arch of Medinaceli

Our steps are probably directed first of all to the roman arch which was part of the access to the roman walled enclosure. Just as we see it stand out now from the highway, 2000 years ago it would have the function of making it clear that we were in territory dominated by Rome.

For this reason, from this point, at the edge of the very steep slope on which it is located, the view extends over a large area of ​​land.

Roman mosaics in Medinaceli

En medinaceli remains of several have been found roman mosaics.

One of them appears in the st peter's square. It is considered that it can be dated to the 2nd century AD due to the type of polychromy it presents.

At one end of the complex, the mass of the Medinaceli Castle. with simple shapes, three circular towers and the great Torre del Homenaje.

It is located right at the point, easily defended, from where the valley that leads to the Douro basin and, at the same time, the Jalon Valley.

What we see now was built in the 14th century but undoubtedly took advantage of the location and structure of the Arab citadel and, probably, of the previous Roman fortress.

Arab Gate of the Medinaceli Wall

At the foot of the castle there are remains of the wall, just like in other places in Medinaceli. These remains allow us to calculate that it measured about 2,400 meters in length.

In one of the points of this wall the so-called Arab Gate, whose origin, despite the name, must be Roman. What must have changed over the centuries is the type of bow.

The place was also known as Market Gate since merchants who did not access the interior of the walled enclosure settled here.

Blessed Julián Hermitage, character of Lope de Vega

Almost next to the door stands out the Blessed Julian Hermitage, built on the birthplace of this friar who became a character in a work by Lope de Vega.

Plaza Mayor and Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli

A few meters away is the Plaza Mayor, the most striking space of the entire complex.

There stands out the Palace of the Dukes of Medinaceli, immense but with the appearance of having lived through better times.

It seems that a good part of the complex is closed and you can only visit the patio and a few rooms.

A part of the square is occupied by houses with typical Castilian arcades.

La Alhóndiga, former grain warehouse

The Alhóndiga, the grain warehouse, was located in a building with arches on both floors.

It is from the 16th century and probably the most attractive building in the entire square.

So much The Alhóndiga such as Archaeological Classroom which is located opposite, can be visited for free every day.

To access you must obtain access through a QR code that we find at the entrance.

Collegiate Church of the Assumption

From different points of the square we see how the tower of the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, which we find among the Carmen and Church squares.

It is a good example of late gothic, and if you visit the interior, you have to look at the grating and the altarpiece.

This imposing collegiate church makes us realize that we have not found any Romanesque churches along the entire route and, in fact, we will not see them no matter how hard we look, although it would be reasonable to think that there should be some.

This absence is explained by the fact that a duke had them demolished to unify all the parishes after the construction of the collegiate church.

It is very pleasant to walk through the streets that wind around this temple. Along the way we will see different accommodations, restaurants and art galleries.

You don't have to leave medinaceli without visiting the end of the complex, where there are several buildings of interest.

San Roman Beguinage

The first is San Roman Beguinage, which was probably once the synagogue, and is now in a ruined state. The beguinage housed a community of nuns, but with flexible rules of communal life.

Very close, going down the slope a little, we find the refrigerator, a curious structure that allowed snow to be stored and preserved for quite a long time.

Logically, it is located in the northern part of the town, the coldest and shady area.

Nuns' sweets in Convent of Santa Isabel

On the way back to the parking area we can make a stop at the Convent of Santa Isabel.

It cannot be visited because it is occupied by cloistered nuns which, like many others, are partly dedicated to baking and have a small assortment of pasta and donuts that serve through the lathe.

Map: where Medinaceli is and how to get there

medinaceli It is located halfway between Madrid and Zaragoza, in the province of Soria, specifically, 2 hours from Madrid and about 1,45 hours from Zaragoza.