Medinaceli
Encyclopedia
Medinaceli is a municipality
and town in the province of Soria (Spain
). Its name derives from the Arabic toponym madīnat sālim (the city of Sālim). The town is named after one Salim bin Waral, head of a Masmuda
Berber
family which settled there in the 8th century.
, Medinaceli was a town that lay between the lands of the Christians and the Muslims. Situated at the confluence of the river Jalón
, Medinaceli was the site of the Celtiberian
town Occilis. From the Roman era
until 1994, its saltworks were exploited for commercial use.
Medinaceli is home to the only three-gates Roman arch in Spain, built in the 1st-3rd centuries AD.
The castle of Medinaceli served as the residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli
until the Ducal Palace (Palacio Ducal) was used for this purpose.
Other buildings include the Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, whose abbots fought with the bishops of Sigüenza
to maintain the city's rights. The Convent of Saint Elizabeth
(16th century) (Convento de Santa Isabel), which lies next to the church of San Martín, also stands in good condition. The beaterio (house inhabited by lay sisters) of San Román (Saint Romanus) is in ruins; it may have previously been a synagogue
.
Moorish-era remains include a stone gate, one of the few remains of the ancient city walls.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and town in the province of Soria (Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). Its name derives from the Arabic toponym madīnat sālim (the city of Sālim). The town is named after one Salim bin Waral, head of a Masmuda
Masmuda
The Masmuda were a Berber tribal confederacy of Morocco and one of the largest in the Maghreb, along with the Zanata and the Sanhaja. They were composed of several sub-tribes: The Berghouatas, Ghumaras , Hintatas , Tinmelel, Hergha, Genfisa, Seksiwa, Gedmiwa, Hezerdja, Urika, Guerouanes, Bni...
Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
family which settled there in the 8th century.
History
During the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Medinaceli was a town that lay between the lands of the Christians and the Muslims. Situated at the confluence of the river Jalón
Jalón (river)
The river Jalón is located in the northeast of Spain, and is one of the principal tributaries of the Ebro. It has a length of and drains a watershed of . The flow rate in Calatayud is , but is highly irregular due to the great range of Mediterranean rainfall patterns.The course of the river forms...
, Medinaceli was the site of the Celtiberian
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
town Occilis. From the Roman era
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
until 1994, its saltworks were exploited for commercial use.
Main sights
The Toro Jubilo annually occurs in Medinaceli, in which crowds of participants taunt a bull with balls of burning tar or turpentine (called "pitch") attached to his horns.Medinaceli is home to the only three-gates Roman arch in Spain, built in the 1st-3rd centuries AD.
The castle of Medinaceli served as the residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli
Duke of Medinaceli
Duke of Medinaceli is a Spanish noble title given to Luis de la Cerda y de la Vega on 31 October 1479, by the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon when the old title of Count of Medinaceli, awarded to his grandfather, Bernal de Foix, in 1368, whereby was transformed...
until the Ducal Palace (Palacio Ducal) was used for this purpose.
Other buildings include the Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, whose abbots fought with the bishops of Sigüenza
Sigüenza
Sigüenza is a city in the province of Guadalajara in Spain.-History:The site of the ancient Segontia of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called Villavieja , is half a league distant from the present Sigüenza...
to maintain the city's rights. The Convent of Saint Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth may refer to:* Saint Elizabeth , the mother of John the Baptist* Saint Elisabeth of Hungary * Saint Elizabeth of Portugal * Saint Elizabeth of Reute...
(16th century) (Convento de Santa Isabel), which lies next to the church of San Martín, also stands in good condition. The beaterio (house inhabited by lay sisters) of San Román (Saint Romanus) is in ruins; it may have previously been a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
.
Moorish-era remains include a stone gate, one of the few remains of the ancient city walls.