Ruins of San Nicolas Church in Soria

The Ruinas de iglesia San Nicolas are the ruins of a Romanesque church located on Plaza Mayor in Soria. This church was one of the most important and beautiful in the city, but it was destroyed in the 19th century, during the war of independence. From its former splendor, only part of the presbytery, side walls, and tower foundations have been preserved. These ruins are a testament to the history and art of Soria, and also an inspiration for many writers and poets.




The Church of San Nicolas was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, on the site of an earlier temple. It was a church with a Latin cross plan, with one nave, a transept, and an apse. Its main facade was located on the north side, facing the main street of the city.




This facade was adorned with a portal with three arches, supported on columns with plant and animal capitals. This portal was moved in 1908 to the church of San Juan de Rabanera, where it can be admired today. On the south side of the church, a powerful tower rose, which served as a bell tower and observation point. This tower had four floors, each with two windows. At the top of the tower, there was the city’s coat of arms and the inscription “San Nicolas”.




The interior of the church was bright and harmonious, with rich artistic furnishings. In the presbytery, there was a main altar with a Plateresque altarpiece from the 16th century, the work of Francisco de Ágreda and Juan de Baltanás.

This altarpiece depicted scenes from the life and martyrdom of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the church. In the transept, there were two side altars, one dedicated to St. Catherine, and the other to the Holy Cross. In this second altar, remnants of wall paintings from the 13th century have been preserved, depicting the murder of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. In the nave, there were benches made of walnut wood from the 16th century, and on the choir, organs from the 18th century.