Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

This fourth stage of the Nature Trail follows the Antonine Itinerary Iter XXVII for 16 km through the province of Soria, from Muro to Vozmediano, witness to the feuds between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragón, passing through Agreda.

Muro, located about 1,000 m up a hillside in the hollow between the Madero and Moncayo mountain ranges, is the trail head of the fourth section of the Agua Soriano-Camino Antonino Nature Trail. This route starts on the outskirts of the town, along the road to Agreda, which runs over the Roman road. As in the previous section, this stretch of the Trail follows Iter XXVII, whenever possible, although it is barely discernible.

About 1.5 km from Muro, in Valdeabejas gully, the route continues along the path leading to Alto de la Taraviela. At an altitude of 800 m, this is an excellent vantage point for viewing the surrounding mountains, among which is the Moncayo (2,315 m), the highest peak in the range and a visual reference throughout the route.

Retracing the path back to the fork, the route continues for a little over two kilometres to the intersection with C-101, which it crosses through an underpass, to connect with the former road to Olvega that leads to the centre of Agreda.

Ágreda

The city of Agreda is located in the plains of the River Cailes, also known as River Val, where fields of cereals, sugar beet, sunflower, corn and alfalfa are dotted with small horticultural gardens and a few trees, mainly holm oak (Quercus ilex), common oak (Quercus robur) and reforestation pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees. The village borders to the southeast with the slopes of the Moncayo, and to the northwest with a line of hills which cover much of its rugged terrain.

Arabs, Jews and Christians immortalised their presence in Agreda, also known as "the city of the three cultures”. Coveted by Castile, Navarre and Aragón, Agreda was conquered in 1118 by King Alphonse I the Battler. It still preserves important vestiges of the past in many civilian and religious buildings.

The remains of the wall, two Emir's gates and La Muela Tower remind of its Arab past. The tower was built on the outskirts, perched on a cliff above the Queiles ravine, in a place where Agreda’s roots run deep. The Puerta del Agua, a horseshoe arch entrance to the citadel, the military compound that guarded the entrance to the Ebro Valley, and the Puerta del Cementerio or Emir's Arch, ninth century, which gave access to the Arab city and was situated opposite the hill used as a Muslim cemetery.

The wall paintings, which have been restored, and the viewpoint over the terraced vegetable gardens designed by the Moors, are all that remains of the Arab neighbourhood. There is also a fountain oriented towards Mecca, a vestige of the irrigation system used by the Arabs. The layout of the former Jewish quarter can still be seen near the Arab quarter. Deeper knowledge of this legacy can be acquired by visiting the city's interpretation centre.

Three more walled enclosures were built following the Christian resettlement of Agreda in the Middle Ages. All four walled enclosures were independent from each other, but were connected by gates and defended by towers. Examples of these defences include the Torre del Tirador, the Torre de Almazán, which gave access to the San Miguel walled enclosure, and the Tower of Santiago, through which one could access Nuestra Señora de la Peña enclosure, where today stands its namesake church, one of few Romanesque churches with a double nave. It was renovated in Gothic style during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Since 2002, it houses the regional Museum of Sacred Art.

Within the walled enclosure of La Peña, on a street in the former Jewish quarter, still stands the ancient synagogue and two gates, Puerta de Santo Domingo and Puerta de los Pilares, which gave access to the citadel of Castejón, so-named for one of many noble families that settled in Agreda during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the ancient citadel of Castejones, there are two large 16th century mansions that were part of the palace complex built by this family. The City Hall, in Renaissance style, is also from the sixteenth century.

The Palace of the Castejones is situated within the San Miguel walled enclosure. This fifteenth century Renaissance building is one of few garden-palaces of that period. The Jardín Renacentista of Don Diego González de Castejón and the Jardín de la Memoria can still be visited today. The Gothic church of San Miguel, with a 12th century Romanesque tower, and the convent-museum of the Venerable Sor María de Jesús, who ordered it built in the seventeenth century, can also be visited. Born in Agreda in 1602, María Coronel y Arana was not only a mystic, writer and saint, but also a confidant of King Philip IV and one of the most influential women of her time.

The walled enclosure of San Juan, the largest of the four, is home to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, built in the sixteenth century by the Augustinian order, and one of the finest examples of religious Sorian architecture of that century. It also contains the churches of Nuestra Señora de Magaña and of San Juan Bautista, the Puerta de Añavieja and the Costoya Tower.

After visiting this invaluable historical and cultural heritage, the route leaves Agreda through Parque de la Dehesa, one of the most visited tourist attractions of the city.

Los Ojillos del Val

At the end of Parque de la Dehesa, the Nature Trail reaches Los Ojillos del Val, a wetland where the River Val rises to the surface as springs. The River Val, or Cailes, is a tributary of the River Queiles, which rises in Olvega, fed by spring water from Mount Moncayo. The permeability of the rocks and the gentle slope of the river in its first stretch causes the Val to disappear and reappear in Agreda at Los Ojillos del Val, where it flows to the surface at a rate of 50 L per second.

From Los Ojillos del Val, the route continues about 4 km up the trail to Cañada Rosa Ravine, where it meets the path to Cuesta Mala. Further on, after a little more than one kilometre, is the intersection of Los Cuatro Caminos, where the trail turns onto the road to Aldehuela de Agreda.

Aldehuela de Agreda

Little more than 1,000 m up the slopes of the Moncayo is Aldehuela de Agreda, a mountain village with a harsh climate and few inhabitants. This town, located in the municipality of Agreda, is home to the church of San Lorenzo, a 17th century building with a small single nave, two side chapels and a tower. The statue of the Cristo del Perdón graces the altar, and to the sides, in two niches, are the baroque statues of San Lorenzo and San Ramon Nonato.

In the church square, the route continues north along Mayor Street towards the edge of town, where it turns northeast onto the road to Vozmediano. The course now heads east, following the milestones, and soon after, starts a steep descent into Queiles Ravine.

After crossing the river, the path continues to the headwaters of the River Queiles, and from there to Vozmediano. Here ends the fourth section through the Land of Agreda, profoundly marked by the presence of the majestic Moncayo.