Burgenses say - gentilicio applied to the inhabitants of this beautiful and ancient city, which is Burgo de Osma - feel eminently proud of their ancient Celtiberian roots, regardless of or importing very little, that their ancient ancestors suffered the same fate as their neighbors. of Numantia, finally subdued by the fury of the imperial legions of Rome.
Actually, if we were to heed the recommendations of the English writer, G.K. Chesterton and let us begin, even a brief biography of the city, beginning with its genesis, we would observe that after all, centuries and cultural events were establishing bloody links, whose survival is shown in the character of the inhabitants.
For if the primitive Celtiberians were subdued by the Romans, they in turn suffered a similar fate when the barbarian Goths invaded Rome in the fourth century after Christ and spread through Europe like wildfire.
A trail that, in the case of the Iberian Peninsula, came to an abrupt halt at the beginning of the 7th century, when Tariq's Agarean armies scandalously defeated King Rodrigo's Visigothic army, in the famous and at the same time sinister battle of the Guadalete River, which took place in that distant year 711 of our Era.
Therefore, it should not surprise us at all, that apart from Celtiberian blood, Saracen blood also runs through the veins of Burgos, as it is a known fact that this place, like practically the entire community and land of Soria, It was for countless centuries the border that separated Christian Spain from the North, from that other Spain, the South, ruled with an iron hand since the Caliphate of Córdoba.
Taking into account these antecedents, I can assure you that walking through the historic center and the surroundings of the old city of Osma - today, the Burgo de Osma - is a visual exercise for the senses, especially if we take into account that playful aspect and eminently attractive, which is the immeasurable Art displayed in its main historical monuments.
An indisputable meeting point, it is the Cathedral of Santa María and the square where it is located, within the walls of some medieval walls, which already speak for themselves of the importance that this city had in the Middle Ages, until consolidating itself as the stronghold of a bishopric that was in charge of numerous dioceses, both in the territory of Soria itself, and in the neighboring territories, Segovia, Guadalajara or Burgos.
Imposing in its design, so many things stand out about the cathedral, that by itself it would need a single entrance, but it is worth drawing attention to its main portal, where there are two characters, whose presence by itself is already capable of generating numerous suspicions, about all because of the halo of legend and mystery that still surrounds them after millennia: King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Placed at the same height as other great figures, such as Moses or the Apostles, their presence comes to influence a detail in that other great enigma, which is the devotion that formerly felt for very special images, the Black Virgins, a fact that It is also corroborated here, because inside, the figure of one of them is especially venerated, who in turn is the Patron Saint of the city: the Virgen del Espino.
But leaving aside these true historical enigmas and the great symbolism that accompanies them, walking, as I say, through the old town of this immemorial city, is a challenge to the senses, where the viewer attends, without the need for a fantastic machine time, as the prolific English writer HG Wells, on a cultural journey, where innumerable artistic styles are in charge of making his imagination wander through those ages of a story, which in their own way, left an indelible mark.
If to this pleasant artistic pleasure we add the extraordinary, varied and rich gastronomy of Soria, we will have the perfect condiments to rub our hands, thinking that we have a great choice, choosing this city as a tourist destination and starting point, in addition, to other worthy enclaves of admiration, such as the no less old and genuine city of San Esteban de Gormaz or that fantastic and essential for lovers of Nature and adventure, the Lobos River Canyon, currently converted into a Natural Park.
NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and therefore are subject to my Copyright.
