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San Esteban de Gormaz (English)
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San Esteban De Gormaz is a Castilian village
located 70 kms east of the capital of the province (Soria), 28 km of Tiermes
and 45 km of Aranda de Duero. It is strategically situated between the bank
of River Duero and a small hill in which the resemblances of its castle are
still alive on the top. The first vestiges date from Neolithic Calcolitic
(cave of the Salinas). Some references from the Celtiberic stage also exist,
we must highlight their presence in the Roman Age as it is stated by the
amount of ruins found: inscriptions, ceramic, decorative and architectonic
elements. |
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Nevertheless, the most important issue of San
Esteban de Gormaz in the History of Spain would be carried out by the
reconquest.
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In the year 883 king Alfonso III conquered this
territory and refortify it, clarifying the boundary for Muslims and
Christians in the river Duero. In the year 912, Fernando Fernandez
resettled the village. Afterwards S. E. De Gormaz is going to be the
spectator of many battles between the Muslim and the Christian kingdoms,
and the possession of the village is now swayed by both kingdoms,
depending on the sign of the battle. Once
finished the reconquest, the villa is dived into a dream that would
reflect in a political, economical and demographic delay. The hard climate
conditions and the subsequent epidemies shrank its population. In the XX
century it would bright on, thanks to the settlement of several factories
that would serve as the complement for the numerous agrarious population;
being these factories the drawback for the rural exodus to the big town
and cities. Nowdays, it possesses a complete infrastructure of all the
public works and commercial that guarantee the security and well-served
conditions for the nearly 2500 Sanestebeños citizens that live in it. |
Arch of the Villa, Big Square and Big
Street
When we enter the square through the road we come across
the Arch of the Villa that was the entrance of the ancient wall. On the top,
it keeps the scutcheon with the arms of Don Diego I López Pacheco el Grande
who was the earl of San Esteban during the years 1501 and 1529.
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The Big Square is formed by a group of building with
"porticos". On the west facade we come across the town-hall which was
built recently. This building was constructed to imitate the last one
which stoop up proudly at the same point. In the villa from 1629 to 1966.
In this year, it was unfortunately substituted by another town-hall as
this was more modern and less related with the area. In 1994 the Duchess
of Alba, earl of San Esteban inaugurated the current town-hall which gives
back the lost splendour to the whole square. |
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The "Big Steet" passes through one of the sides of the
square and goes on with some galeries with porticos towards the west. Along
the street we come across the most illustrious houses in the village:
blasonaded stone buildings with scutcheons that belonged to some noble
families. We might highlight the so-called "Cuartel Viejo" building (used as
the place for the civil defence) in the first half of the century.Apart from
the scutcheon, we can appreciate in the facade some Roman tomb-stones and a
decorated visigotic stone masonry.
San Miguel Church
The San Miguel Street begins on the right hand side of the Big
street. This stoned and narrow street leads us to one of the most noteworthy
and surprising buildings of the Romanic Art. It was built in 1081 by the
magisterial ingeneer Julianus ( it may be read on the entrance-arch of the
portico). This date makes it not only the first Romanic church with porticos
in the province, but also one of the pioneers in the whole Romanic of
Castilla-Leon.
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Its porticated galery looks on the south and it is
constituted by 7 archs above the wall, only disrupted by the central part
which serves as the door. The kind of construction is quite easy. It is
built with only one aisle with a wooden cover that looks on a semicircular
apsis area that locks it. The square tower is leaning next to the building
and it belongs to a later age. It was built with stone in the bottom part
and with brick on the top part. It is an evidence of the strong Muslim
influence which is the predominant note in the rest of the building and,
above all, in the decorative elements. |
Church of Nuestra Señora del Rivero
It is the most devoted church in the village on account
of many prayers for the Virgen of the Rivero. It is placed up on a boulder.
There appears the exceptional sight of all the bank of the Duero (the Virgin
takes its name).
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It was built in the first part of the XII Century
and keeps the same style and structure of San Miguel, although it has
bigger dimensions. The decorative elements are much more perfect, this is
due to the Muslim influence. We must enter the portico through long stairs.
On the right side of the door there are 5 half-pointed archs held by long
columns and beautiful capital columns, and on the left, there are 3 plain
arches that take the place of the original one, which were lost. It is
kept into the portico the sepulchral arches of Vidas Pascual, main
character of the famous novel of Vado del Cascajar. |
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In the inner part it is focussed the sober from the XII
Century that serves as dwelling for the Virgin of the Rivero and the Chorus
with a magnificent-wooden panelled dated in the XVI century. The church lights
on its facade a stuck sword from the XVIII century that gives volume and
grandeur.
Medieval Bridge
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The long 16 stone arch bridge that crosses the River
Duero is one of the elements that pointed decisively the History of San
Esteban de Gormaz. It was one of the few paths that allowed to cross the
River Duero in medieval ages, the frontier between the Cristian Reigns and
Al-andalus. It may be fundamented in other of Roman origin that, because
of its importance, has been repaired, kept and embroaded by the
Sanestebeños throughout the centuries once and once more. |
Translation by DIEGO PÉREZ REDONDO
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