Uncastillo (one castle), a walled village in Aragon that retains much of its medieval heritage is easily included in a visit to Sos del Rey Catolico. Home to six Romanist churches dating to the 12th century, the village also has a rich, rediscovered, Jewish history.
Uncastillo's sights:
Uncastillo Home
| Church of San Miqual |
| Jewish Quarter |
| Santa Maria La Mayour |
| Outside links:
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Above photo - a street in Uncastillo. |
Photo above- above the door of the Church of Santa Maria. The carved figures on the church are there to teach biblical concepts to the masses. While the meaning of many of the figures have been lost to time, the meaning of others are well know. Notice the two swans, intertwining their necks and strangling themselves in the process, this carving is thought to represent the sin of vanity.
With the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 most Jews left Spain but in Aragon a number of Jews remained. Required to convert to Catholicism many likely continued to practice Judaism in secret. A number of the current residence of Uncastillo and Sos de Rey Catolico trace their ancestry to these "conversos" and are only now rediscovering their lost history.
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In Sos del Ray Catolico and Uncastillo we took a private guided tour of these two cites with a focus on the Jewish experience. While it is possible to explore on your own, it really takes a knowledgeable guide to point out the easily missed evidence of the early Jewish presents in these cities. Our guide was arranged through my recommended Spain Travel Agent.
I am adding a number of new cities to the Spain Guide, Uncastillo being one of them. For the moment a few photos, but eventually, more pages will appear on Uncastillo.
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