The city of Soria formed in a valley near the castle that defended the Douro Riverbanks on the border between the Crowns of Aragon and Castile. The city was destroyed towards the end of the 12th century when Sancho of Navarre attacked it, therefore a great defensive wall was built to prevent further destruction. The wall defended a surface of 100 hectares that went from the Douro River up to the pastureland known as “La Dehesa”, and also from the castle up to the hill where you can find the Chapel of El Mirón.
The Sorian wall was destroyed by General Durán at the end of the Spanish Independence War to avoid French troops from entrenching in the castle. This is the reason why there are so few remains of this castle and why we can only see part of the tower and some parts of the defensive walls. From the castle, you can see a 360º view of the city and the bridge that crosses the Douro River, and in the Chapel of San Saturio, you can see frescos depicting the castle as it once was.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.