A town in Soria called Andaluz

In the proximity of the lands of Berlanga, not too far away from the capital of Soria and also from the no less charismatic city of Almazán, where, as happened to Van Goght, King Pedro II the Cruel encountered his own starry night hands of his bastard brother, Enrique de Trastámara, a town surprises, not only because of the curiosity implicit in its name, but also because it has one of the most peculiar churches of Romanesque art in a land known as Castilian Extremadura, which was, for centuries, an indisputable part of that Duero border, which separated Christian Spain from Muslim Spain: Andalusia.

Possibly, the name Andaluz is a consequence of the influx of those Christians, residing in territory dominated by Muslims, who were called Mozarabs, who settled here, in a period in which the Reconquista began to change the course of the historical circumstances, making possible the advance of the Christian armies and the new repopulation of the territories.

We are already talking, at least, about that prodigious 12th century, in which the West seems to have begun to see the light, metaphorically speaking, when it comes to the flowering of the noble arts, of Courtly Love -let us remember the powerful cultural influence of courts like that of Eleanor of Aquitaine - and a certain respect for the figure of women, which, in the end, could be thought to be just a mirage, but which obeys a period, however, which also seems to coincide with the uprising of its most relevant heritage element: the Romanesque church of San Miguel Arcángel.

Located, as was common at the time, at the highest point of the town, it is worth highlighting, apart from its beautiful porticoed gallery, in whose simple sculpture, on the other hand, time and erosion have inevitably left their mark, the extraordinary height of its bell tower.

A height that should not surprise us too much, if we take into account that, in medieval times, the churches not only served, on occasions, as specific preventive shelters against the attack of possible enemies, but also their towers. They offered the same competence as observatories that, over the centuries, Roman outposts and Muslim watchtowers had performed.

Andalusia, in addition, is part of the journey of one of the Muslim leaders most feared by contemporary Christians in the year 1000, Almanzor, when he returned, mortally ill from his last raid or looting excursions, through the lands of La Rioja and his troops were attacked. in Calatañazor, where the legend was fostered, not only of a non-existent great victory, but also of the whereabouts of his tomb, to this day, not located, where some sources tend to place it in a nearby town, Bordecorex and others, in the stately Medinaceli.

As usually happens with Spanish rural environments, Andalusia has also seen its census of neighbors decrease, affected by this endemic disease, which is the mass exodus to large towns in search of better living conditions and currently, it barely exceeds twenty residents, a population, however, that increases significantly during summer and holiday times, because, as we have already said, it is not only located in a quiet and spectacular natural environment, but it is also a good starting point, not only for hiking lovers, but also for all those lovers of Art and History, who have, in the vicinity, places of true interest, such as the stately town of Berlanga de Duero, the monumental Romanesque churches, such as the of San Miguel de Caltójar or without going any further, the true jewel in the crown of these lands, such as the unique and wonderful Mozarabic or repopulation hermitage, of San Baudelio de Berlanga, which combines, in its apparently simple plan, two conceptions unique spiritual ones: the Christian and the Muslim.

It also deserves special attention, as could not be less, its characteristic rural architecture, which, although it has largely been altered by different fashions, still preserves that objective attachment to the land and its surroundings, whose picturesqueness is always worthy. Just smoke it.

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