El Burgo de Osma Cathedral

Anyone arriving in El Burgo de Osma soon realises that life in the town revolves around its cathedral, the town's main monument and one of those churches whose stones let you read centuries of history. Dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, like so many Spanish cathedrals built in the 13th century, it is the main reason to stop in this corner of the province of Soria.

Its importance goes back a long way. This site was the centre and seat of the Diocese of Osma from the 6th century, placing it among the oldest episcopal sees in Spain. Today it shares that status with the Co-Cathedral of San Pedro in Soria, as both belong to the Diocese of Osma-Soria.

The building we see today is essentially Gothic. Work began in 1232 to replace an earlier Romanesque church, but construction did not stop there: over time it gathered contributions from different styles, finally concluding with neoclassical additions in 1784. This dialogue between eras is precisely one of its attractions, and it is well worth exploring at a leisurely pace to pick out the traces left by each period.

The visit is rounded off by the Cathedral Museum, housed within the cathedral's own interior rooms. It brings together a large number of important works of art belonging to or associated with the diocese, a collection that helps visitors understand the influence this see has had for centuries on the religious and artistic life of the area.