We had stayed in the magical hilltop town of Sos del Rey Catolico1 in the past and always enjoyed the days spent here. It is One of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain which may be a marketing ploy but perhaps it is justified here.
Read more: Sos del Rey CatolicoA brief history
The town was reclaimed from the Arabs in 907, and in 1044 Ramiro I incorporated Sos into the Kingdom of Aragon. In 1452 the boy who was to become Ferdinand II was born here, one of the Reys Catholics.
Sos stands on a rocky promontory in a valley on the borders of Navarre and Aragon, and facing the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is one of the Cinco Villas, the five historical towns in the area. We have also visited Sadaba and Uncastillo.
The Palace of Sada
The Palace of Sada, which dates from the late 15th century, belonged to the Sada family from Provence. It was built on the site of the former castle, and it was the birthplace of Ferdinand I. Today it is a small museum.
The Chapel of St Martin de Tours dates from the 13th century and there are some faded frescoes on the wall behind what would have been the main altar. It was the private chapel to the castle over which the Palace was built.
And behind the Palace was the old Jewish quarter which is quite ironic as it was Ferdinand and Isabella, the Reys Catolicos, who finally required the Jews to convert or leave the country! There was of course a synagogue in the town, converted to a house/hotel. And apparently there are crosses on some of the doors; these denote those Jews who converted. I didn’t see them but I didn’t know I should look – every time we visit I learn something new, and more than ever before I feel my ignorance…
The Castle
Of course Sos was originally a border village between Navarre and Aragon and so would have had to be fortified, hence the castle. The Torre de Homenaje is all that remains of the 12th century castle, apart from some rubble on the ground and a small round, watch tower.
It would have been a walled town and parts of the walls can still be seen, with the gates into the town.
Views in the town
This is hilltop town so if you visit be prepared to walk up and down steps and step streets!
The Church of San Esteban looks fascinating but it is always closed! I suspect it only opens for guided group visits, something I hate. However I think we may have missed something really wonderful which dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. Next time!
The badly weathered door into the Church of San Esteban
Sos del Rey Catolico îs a fascinating and important Medieaval hill town in Aragon, and the Parador is magnificent.
- Sos del Rey Católico: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sos_del_Rey_Católico ↩︎
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