Medinaceli

Medinaceli
Municipality
The Ducal Palace (Palacio Ducal) at Medinaceli.
Flag Coat of arms
Medinaceli Location in Spain
Coordinates: 41°10′24″N 2°26′3″W / 41.17333°N 2.43417°W / 41.17333; -2.43417
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Castile and León
Province	Soria
Comarca	Arcos de Jalón
Government
• Mayor	Felipe Utrilla Dupre (PP)
Area
• Total	205.37 km2 (79.29 sq mi)
Elevation	1,092 m (3,583 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	804
• Density	3.9/km2 (10/sq mi)
Demonym	Ocelitanos
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	Official website

Medinaceli (pronounced: [meðinaˈθeli]) is a municipality and town in the province of Soria (Spain). Its name derives from the Arabic toponym مدينة سالم‎ madīnat sālim (English: the city of Sālim). The town is named after one Salim bin Waral, head of a Masmuda family which settled there in the 8th century.^[1]

Puerta árabe (Arab Gate).

History

During the Middle Ages, Medinaceli was a town that lay between the lands of the Christians and the Muslims. Situated at the confluence of the river Jalón, Medinaceli was the site of the Celtiberian town Occilis. From the Roman era until 1994, its saltworks were exploited for commercial use.

Main sights

The Toro Jubilo annually occurs in Medinaceli, in which crowds of participants taunt a bull with balls of burning tar or turpentine (called "pitch") attached to his horns.

Medinaceli is home to the only three-gates Roman arch in Spain, built in the 1st-3rd centuries AD.

The castle of Medinaceli served as the residence of the Dukes of Medinaceli until the Ducal Palace (Palacio Ducal) was used for this purpose.

Other buildings include the Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, whose abbots fought with the bishops of Sigüenza to maintain the city's rights. The Convent of Saint Elizabeth (16th century) (Convento de Santa Isabel), which lies next to the church of San Martín, also stands in good condition. The beaterio (house inhabited by lay sisters) of San Román (Saint Romanus) is in ruins; it may have previously been a synagogue.

Moorish-era remains include a stone gate, one of the few remains of the ancient city walls.

Plaza Mayor (Main square).

"Fire Bull" festival

The "Toro Jubilo" or "Toro de fuego" is a festival that takes place in Medinaceli. The festival is a pre-Celtic ritual dating back to the Bronze Age. During this festival, a bull is tied to a post. Balls are then placed on each horn of the bull and lit a flame. A think layer of mud on the back and face of the bull helps protect the bull from physical injury or burns. The bull is then released by the square, which has 5 fire lit bonfires symbolizing five martyrs.^[2]

Animal rights group PACMA has described the fiesta as "a clear example of animal mistreatment" ^{[citation needed]} and PETA as "a sadistic festival".^[3] Claiming that the fire balls burn for hours causing harm to the bull's horns, body and eyes, while inducing a great amount of stress on the animal. ^[4][5]

Notes and references