San Esteban de Gormaz is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 (INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial population. ...

in the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of Castile-Leon,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its population is approximately 3,500. The town is located in the Wool Route and the Way of the Cid, the route of the exile of

the Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

. The village lies between the bank of River

Duero The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

and a small hill, 70 km west of the capital of the province (

), 28 km from

Tiermes In Sami shamanism, Horagalles, also written Hora Galles and Thora Galles and often equated with Tiermes or ''Aijeke'' (i.e. "grandfather or great grandfather"), is the thunder god. He is depicted as a wooden figure with a nail in the head and with ...

and 45 km from

Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a city and municipality, capital of the Ribera del Duero comarca, in the south of the province of Burgos, in Castile and León, Spain. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people and lies on the River Duero. The closest int ...

. The Arab Gormaz Castle is located nearby. The zone where it is located has known settlements from prehistory. Historically, both

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

, constructed establishments of which some heritage is conserved. The Arabs considered it a very important Christian center. This caused it to become a military objective for 200 years, from the beginning of the construction of its castle by the Arabs in the ninth century (at which time the population was called Castromoro) until it fell finally into the hands of the kingdom of Castile. The innumerable fights that took place this time throughout were the reason so that this place located in the border of Castile consolidated as an urban nucleus. In 1187 the first

Cortes of Castile The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets i ...

were celebrated in the town and its importance continued growing until the end of the thirteenth century, when it reached its maximum splendor. By this date it had 3000 inhabitants (120

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

), four

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

and two

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

located outside the limits of the village. IglesiaDeNuestraSeñoraDelRivero-rectangular

After the thirteenth century, the town decayed slowly. It experienced periods of great poverty and loss of population until the twentieth century. However, recently it has carried out an industrialization project that helped elevate the population to the levels that it had known in better times.

List of settlements included in the municipality

* Aldea de San Esteban * Atauta * Inés * Morcuera *

Matanza de Soria Matanza de Soria is a village in Soria, Spain. It is part of the municipality of San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is appr ...

* Olmillos *

Pedraja de San Esteban Pedraja de San Esteban is a village in Soria, Spain. It is part of the municipality of San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is ...

* Peñalba de San Esteban *

Piquera de San Esteban Piquera de San Esteban is a village in Soria, Spain. It is part of the municipality of San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is ...

* Quintanas Rubias de Abajo * Quintanas Rubias de Arriba * Quintanilla de Tres Barrios * Rejas de San Esteban * Soto de San Esteban * Torraño *

Torremocha de Ayllón Torremocha de Ayllón is a village in Soria, Spain. It is part of the municipality of San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population i ...

Velilla de San Esteban Velilla de San Esteban is a village in Soria, Spain. It is part of the municipality of San Esteban de Gormaz San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is ...

* Villálvaro

References

External links

San Esteban de Gormaz
Municipalities in the Province of Soria {{Soria-geo-stub