Soria

Soria's human story begins on the hillside of Valonsadero, where rock paintings from around 3000 BC, made by nomadic peoples recording daily life and simple deities, survive today as a protected cultural heritage site. On the hill where the castle now stands, archaeologists have found Iron Age and Celtiberian remains linked to nearby Numancia, seven kilometres to the north. Numancia was the most powerful city of the Arevaci tribe and famously resisted Rome for twenty years before the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus finally took it by siege, after much of its population chose death over surrender.

During the period of Arab control, Soria appears in scattered and disputed references, including a revolt against the emir of Córdoba in 869 and an offer of the town to Alfonso VI in 1079. The Duero river formed the strategic boundary between Christian and Muslim territory in this era, with the two sides anchored at San Esteban de Gormaz and the great castle of Gormaz respectively. Christian capture of Gormaz in 1060 and Toledo in 1085 opened the way for Soria's resettlement.

Between 1109 and 1114, Alfonso I of Aragon, known as El Batallador, conquered Soria and repopulated it, granting the town its first legal charter, the Fuero Breve. The town then became a contested prize between the kingdoms of Castile, León, Navarre and Aragon. After Alfonso I's death in 1134, Soria passed permanently into Castile.

Alfonso VIII was born in Soria and remained tied to the town throughout his life; his father Sancho III died when the boy was only three, triggering a long struggle among the great noble families over his wardship.

By 2014, Soria had 292 catalogued monuments, buildings, archaeological sites and works of art, a remarkable figure for a provincial town. A 13th-century census recorded as many as 35 parish churches, many of them later remodelled but leaving Romanesque traces across the city. The church of Santa María la Mayor retains its original Romanesque doorway, two small apses and the lower sections of its tower; a Gothic chancel and apse were added later.

The ermita de Nuestra Señora del Mirón is now a baroque chapel but preserves its Romanesque apse as a sacristy. The church of Nuestra Señora del Espino was largely rebuilt in the Renaissance Plateresque style. Several military orders settled in Soria during the medieval period.

The Knights Templar founded the monastery of San Polo, still standing though privately owned. The Order of Calatrava built the church of El Salvador. The Knights Hospitaller of St John built the monastery of San Juan de Duero, whose simple church contains two unusual small shrines flanking the sanctuary, a feature drawn from Byzantine Greek ritual practice, and a remarkably intact cloister that displays a range of architectural styles side by side.

The ermita de San Saturio sits on the bank of the Duero, an octagonal baroque building whose interior is entirely covered in frescoes by Juan Antonio Zapata. The Convent of Nuestra Señora del Carmen was founded by Saint Teresa of Ávila herself in 1581; the current baroque building, designed by Melchor de Bueras, dates from the mid-18th century. Museums include the Museo Numantino (archaeology, with finds from Numancia), the Museo Medieval de San Juan de Duero, the Museo Diocesano in the old refectory of the Augustinian monastery, and the Casa de los Poetas, dedicated to writers who wrote about Soria.

From Madrid by road, take the A-2 to Medinaceli then the A-15 north, 234 km in total. From Zaragoza, follow the AP-68 onto the N-122, which continues west through Soria toward Valladolid. Alsa buses (alsa.com) run every couple of hours from Madrid Avenida de América, stopping at Madrid Airport T4, and take around 2 hours 30 minutes; services continue north to Logroño or Pamplona.

The bus station, on the corner of Avenida Constitución and Avenida Valladolid on the west side of town, was being rebuilt in 2024, expect buses to stop on the street. Town buses 2 and 3 serve the area. Only two trains a day run from Madrid Chamartín, taking 3 hours via Alcalá de Henares, Guadalajara, Sigüenza, Torralba, Almazán, Tardelcuende and Quintana Redonda; the train station is on Calle Madrid at the southern edge of town.

All town sights, including San Saturio via a footbridge, are walkable; outlying sights require transport. Six local bus routes are posted at soria.avanzagrupo.com (Avanza), and a dozen taxi firms operate. For groceries, Al Campo is at Plaza Bernardo Robles 3 (open daily) and Supermercados Dia is at Aguirre 12 (Monday–Saturday).

As of December 2024, Soria has 5G from all Spanish carriers, with 4G on approach roads. Restaurants on Plaza Mayor include Mesón Castellano and Casa Augusto Arranz; the main concentration of bars and restaurants is west of centre, in the blocks between Puertas de Pro and Plaza Salvador. Soria sits within the Castilla y León DOP wine region, predominantly red wines.