Speaking of a population like Matanza de Soria, implies, at least, embarking on that mysterious and dark mystery ship and the legend that surrounds its origins and goes back, according to some versions, to those holocaustic years close to the terrible Year Thousand in which , as an anticipation of the end of the world, the formidable caudillo Almanzor resembled the reincarnation of the terrible dragon of the Apocalypse of San Juan, devastating the Christian kingdoms, again and again, in his ruthless raids.

Other chronicles more accepted by historians, such as that of the famous archbishop of Toledo, Don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada - the archbishop of the famous battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, whose mortal remains rest in the also Soria monastery of Santa María de Huerta - refer that were the troops of King Vermudo II of Leon -other sources speak of Ramiro II, who starred in the famous victory of Simancas-, in union with the troops of Castile and Navarra who chased part of the army of Almanzor, who was fleeing the famous battle-it is generally accepted that this was not such, but something more like a scuffle between the Christian vanguard and the Muslim rear guard that retreated towards Medinaceli, with his leader seriously ill after his last raid or punishment action- , cornered and killed just here, being the wounded of the bloody confrontation who founded the place.

Anyway, and although much reformed in its main structure, in Matanza survives a beautiful example of rural temple, which is under the invocation of San Juan Bautista.

A temple that, dominating the town from a hillock, conserves part of the original nave, as well as the apse or headboard, semicircular, where you can see a small central window and a series of corbels, rudimentary, with varied but typical motifs. Regarding the symbology and theme developed generally in this type of constructions

Thus, among these, one can say that zoomorphic representations abound - head and whole body - some crude human faces, some musical utensil and a fish, perhaps a reference to the primitive stroke, one of the first symbols of Christianity.

The capitals of the window, expose foliaceous or vegetal representations. As a curiosity, and possibly following the patterns of those recently discovered in the upper rear part of the nave of the church of San Miguel, in San Esteban de Gormaz, in this temple of Matanza have been discovered, also, some rugged medieval graffiti.

As a final data, to say that the original cover, disappeared, was replaced by another, simple and possibly neoclassical, to which a small porch was added, between whose walls it can be seen, as a filling, a fragment of funerary stele with the representation of the known flower of six leaves, that up to relatively recent times was placed on the lintels of the houses, as a protective symbol and also as an amulet against the influence of witches.

Because the witches, as they say in far Galicia, have them, always have been and always will be very present in small rural environments, as this picturesque land of Soria, whose name, distorts, in part, its beautiful constitution.

NOTICE: Originally posted on my blog SORIA WAY WALKS WHEN WALKING. Both the text, revised and expanded, and the photographs that accompany it, are my exclusive intellectual property. The original entry, where you can check the authorship of juancar347, can be found at the following address: https://juancar347.blogspot.com/2015/01/matanza-de-soria-iglesia-de-san-juan.htm

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[Martial, latin poet]

Ars vtinam more Animvm qve effingere. Posses pulchrior in ter. Ris nvlla tabella foret.

Arte Ojala pudieras representar. el carácter y el espíritu. No habría sobre la tierra. Imagen más bella

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