Segovia is one of the provinces that, without a doubt, is worth visiting at least once in life. The architectural wonders it possesses are one of the main tourist attractions of the place, such as the aqueduct or the Alcazar of Segovia, both in the capital. It is not the latter, much less, the only castle that is worth visiting in the province. Unavoidable to know that of Pedraza, that of Cuéllar or Turégano, or Coca Castle. Precisely, in this town, in Coca, the last emperor of the Roman Empire was born. If you want to learn about history, we present some of the tourist routes and the most interesting places you can visit in Coca.
The Segovian town of Cauca, then Coca, is located in the Segovia Oeste-Campiña Segoviana region and is considered one of the oldest populated settlements in the Iberian Peninsula. What is known today as the people of Coca was born between 750 and 550 BC as a small village located in what is currently the area of the Azafranales.
Cradle of Theodosius I, last emperor of unified Rome
It was from 550 a. C. When the village gave rise to the vaccea cauca, which would be besieged several times by the Roman armies in the conquest of Hispania. After the settlement of the Romans in the Peninsula, in the year 347, during the low empire, the last Emperor Theodosius I ‘El Grande’ was born in Cauca. In fact, currently in one of the squares of the Segoviana Villa there is a bust in his memory. According to the City of Coca, the bust of the Roman Emperor Teodosio I is located in the center of the Plaza del Arco since May 3, 1971.
All the story that this town has makes it the perfect site to draw a route through some of its medieval villas and historical monuments. Among all the architectural wonders that can be visited, the Romanesque towers, the graves of the Fonseca family or their famous castle, which shows the archaeological and artistic legacy of the area.
Coca Castle
Of the more than 10,000 strengths and castles that are in our entire geography, 74 are in Segovia. To the Castilian province some of the best preserved castles in the country and one of its most impressive strengths are precisely that of Coca.
We start our route through the town visiting the top work of the Mudejar and Gothic architecture. This fortification of the late fifteenth century was sent to be built by order of the third lord of Coca, Archbishop Don Alfonso Fonseca, during the reign of Enrique IV of Castile. Subsequently, from him I pass the Ducal House of Alba. In addition, a curious fact about the castle is that it was not built on a hill like most defensive strengths. However, it continues to keep some similarities to be on a steep terrain, protected by a pit that exceeds 20 meters deep.
The castle rose next to the Escarpes del Río Voltoya. For this reason, it was necessary to surround the building by a pit with the aim of removing possible besiegers of the walls. After him, the castle is divided into two great enclosures that tourists and visitors should not be lost: an exterior, defensive, and another interior. The latter is higher and has four towers arranged in the corners to protect the dependencies of the place as the courtyard. The largest is the tower of the tribute, which contains in its interior different rooms linked by a built snail ladder, such as the rest of the castle, in brick.
To visit it, according to the portal of Tourism From the Junta de Castilla y León, it is necessary to reserve at least 48 hours in advance by calling 617 57 35 54. Guided visits last an hour and prices range between 2.50 and 3 euros per person. During the visit, attendees can also go up to the Torre del Tribute, from where you can see the fortress from above including the wall.
Church of Santa María la Mayor
Apart from the majestic castle, we can see other tourist attractions of Coca such as the Church of Santa María la Mayor. As the name implies, this construction located in the Plaza Mayor is the only one of the seven churches that continue standing. The works of this temple ended in 1520 and rose on the foundations of a Romanesque church of which only the lower part of the tower remains today. The tower has three different parts: the lower of the 12th century, the central built in the 16th and the upper century, which contains the clock and is from the beginning of this century.
Regarding the interior of the Church, the Gothic Vault of Five Sections stands out in which various structural solutions and the main altarpiece are adopted, of classical taste. But the most artistic works are the Renaissance graves of the Fonseca family.
The Church keeps the graves of Don Fernando de Fonseca and Mrs. Teresa de Ayala, works of Doménico Francelli and Bartolomé Ordóñez with delicate funeral beds and ornaments of vases, animals, garlands and a seven -point five star shield, which crown the cross of the order of Santiago.
The Tower of San Nicolás
Visitors who walk through the streets of Coca can also meet the tower of San Nicolás. This Mudejar tower is the only visible rest of the missing Romanesque church of San Nicolás, which was collapsed at the end of the 18th century. Its construction is masonry and brick, with a square plant. In its lower half it has five floors of blind Archillos, while in the upper part you can see four open windows on the wall.
Its position, being so close to the Eresma River Valley, made it a powerful defensive watchtower from which the accesses were controlled by the north to the town. Currently, tourists can access it and observe from above the Tagus of the Songma and the urban center of Coca.
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