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Points of interest in Medinaceli (EN)

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Roman Arch

Declared a monument in 1930, it is the only Roman arch with triple arches preserved in Spain. It follows the model of Trajan's arch and presents a very simple but effective decoration. It is a unique example of a monumental Roman triumphal arch in Hispania. Its conservation is acceptable except for its decoration that is very worn out due to the geographical situation in which it is located. It is made of Opus Quadratum of variable size, placed with ropes and some of them with a chalk. All the decorative elements were carved on them. The size of the whole measures 13'20 m. long, 2'10 m. wide and 8'10 m. high. It served, in addition to its commemorative function, as a gateway to the city. The central arch was a passageway for carriages and animals and the lateral ones for pedestrians.

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Plaza Mayor

It is located in the place where the ancient Roman forum was, it has a spectacular amplitude, of about five thousand meters approximately, at the moment its state of conservation is perfect and it is a witness of the life of the neighbors of Medinaceli.

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Convent of Santa Isabel

The Convent of Santa Isabel (XVI century), next to the church of San Martin, is kept in perfect condition. This convent of Poor Clares is the only one that is still active of the four that the town had in the past.

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Arabian Gate

Also known as Puerta de la Villa, it is the westernmost entrance to the city and one of the original entrances to the first Roman settlement. Despite its imperial origin, it must have been rebuilt and slightly varied in its position in the Arab period, hence its name. The numerous reforms it has undergone over the centuries have slightly varied its original construction. In the 12th century, when Alfonso I "El Batallador" re-conquered these lands, the appearance of the gate was again reformed. In 1370, when Medinaceli lost its status as an independent council and became the property of Bernal de Bearne, the city was walled again, and it is likely that it was then that the gate acquired its ogival appearance. The last of the reforms dates from 1969. Markets were often set up next to it, given the scarcity of large spaces in the city.

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Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor

The Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor was built on the plan of a medieval building at the beginning of the 16th century, and finished around 1540, according to documentation collected by the Junta de Castilla y León. Shortly before, at the end of the 15th century, the city of Medinaceli had around twelve Romanesque parishes around which the activity was articulated, once the period of reconquest was over. It was the Duke who asked the Vatican to unify all of them into one, that of Santa Maria. It is a late Gothic building erected on the site of a Romanesque church dedicated to Santa Maria, of which only the crypt under the main altar remains. It is accessed through its two doors; the first, from the 19th century, faces south, and is sheltered by a portico of three semicircular arches. The other, called Puerta del Carmen, is simpler and faces north. A body advanced on the plane of the wall opens the north door, also called Puerta del Carmen. A double rounded mural arch sheltering the oculus completes the ornamentation of the doorway consisting of a double rounded mural arch and several pilasters topped with pyramids and balls, typical of the late Gothic style. In its interior, the gothic Rejería (1634), that serves to close the Choir and the Main Chapel, and that also keeps the very beautiful wood carving of the Santísimo Cristo de Medinaceli, donated in the XVI century by the dukes, stands out. The Collegiate Church is currently completing a work of restoration and waterproofing of the roof, and will soon reopen its doors to the faithful and visitors. The opening hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 11.00 to 14.00h and from 16.00 to 19.00h, and Mondays from 11.00 to 14.00h. During Holy Week, from April 9 to 18, every day during the weekend.

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Archaeological classroom

The Plaza Mayor de la Villa, built over the Roman Forum, was the social and administrative center of Medinaceli. Today, its more than 5000 square meters of floor plan are framed by some of the most solemn buildings of this city, among which is the Aula Arqueológica. Inside, prehistoric and historical events are recreated through life-size reconstructions, models of public and private environments and a multitude of information panels; a tunnel through time that shows the most significant aspects of the Paleolithic and Neolithic settlements that existed in the Ambrona Valley as soon as you arrive. From the reception, you can access the Roman room, with reproductions of a Roman road, streets and an arcaded house that has inside a reproduction of the Roman mosaic found in the city. Finally, a medieval room illustrates the crossroads of cultures that coexisted here thanks to reconstructions of a Muslim cistern, a Jewish synagogue and a Christian hermitage and necropolis. The Archaeological Classroom is part of the Living Museums initiative. Access is free and will be done by typing in the entrance door a number that will be assigned after registration through the booking tab on the website. Given the current pandemic situation the group of visitors is limited to 6 people and between visits there will be an interval of two hours. Opening hours are from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.

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Mosaics

The imprint left by the Roman civilization in its imperial era is still visible today when walking through the streets of the Villa. The arch, the La Canal fountain, the Roman road or the apiaries are just some of the remains that visitors can contemplate. And of all of them, perhaps the most iconic are the mosaics. In St. Peter's Square we find the first one. The whole set has been silhouetted with various geometric borders of sogueados, braids, chains, jagged triangles, etc.. At the ends there are seven floral casetones and, on the sides, elongated bands with vegetal decoration. The center of the composition is structured around a quadrangular space with shells on the sides and cassettes with four-petaled heart-shaped flowers in the corners. Around these central motifs there are cassettes that house warriors' helmets, peltas topped with circles and shields with double-edged axes. Based on the technical and decorative similarities with the one in San Gil street, it has been dated to the 2nd century AD. The dimensions of the preserved section are 6.20 by 5.50m, a little less than half of the mosaic. The rest is inserted under the adjacent house. It presents a rich and varied polychrome decoration, in green, black, maroon, white, yellow and brown. The mosaic of the San Gil street was discovered on the occasion of the remodeling of the house under which it was located. It was excavated by archaeologists C. Núñez and J.J. Fernández between 1984 and 1985. It is dated to the second half of the 2nd century AD. It is organized by four bands of geometric and figurative motifs, framed by elaborate borders. The execution is very good, with rich polychrome (black, maroon, yellow, brown, green and white). In the central panel, surrounded by a line of herringbone, six fantastic animals were arranged in groups of two and separated by basketwork motifs. The hybrid monsters that can be recognized are a walking sphinx, a sea satyr and a griffin. There is also part of a bird that could belong to a harpy or mermaid. It can be visited free of charge in a room that the city council has enabled inside the Ducal Palace. The mosaic of the Plaza Mayor was excavated by Borobio M.J., Morales F. and Pascual A.C., between 1986 and 1989. Its structure and the decorative motifs represented would lead to date it to the lower imperial period (4th century). The whole set is organized around a figurative panel that presents in the center the goddess Ceres, holding the horn of plenty and surrounded by a circular outline of crisscrossed lines. It is currently in storage awaiting an appropriate place for its exhibition.

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Castle

The castle of Medinaceli, located at the western end of the Roman wall and almost completely rebuilt on the primitive Arab citadel, is separated from the buildings by the so-called Campillo del Castillo. Dated in the tenth century, its mission was to give notice by visual signals to the garrison of Medinaceli of any sighting in the nearby valleys. Few are the remains that have come down to our times of a castle of great importance in the Middle Ages. The Arabs made Medinaceli the headquarters of their raids along the Duero. Their leader, Almanzor, wounded in the battle of Calatatañazor, died on his way to Medinaceli in 1002, and tradition has it that he is buried in the fourth hill near the town, although others place his burial place inside the now disappeared citadel. Once conquered by Alfonso VI the Battler in 1370, Medinaceli became a Lordship, and a successor of Alfonso VI, Alfonso VIII, created the County of Medinaceli and granted it to the Count of Foix married to Doña Isabel de la Cerda. A century later the Catholic Monarchs granted it the title of Duchy. From that moment on, a new stage in its history began, shaping the urban layout that has survived to the present day. Among the remains that have reached our days are the foundations of a tower, on a rocky eminence, as well as two large cisterns, remains of rooms and stairs, all dug into the rock. It was rebuilt on the Arab citadel, of which only the subway stables have survived. Built in ashlar, with a square floor plan, rectangular keep and circular towers in three of its corners.

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