The Diocese
Since 1956 the boundaries of the Osma Soria diocese coincide with those of the province of Soria. Lying as it does at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, Soria is to be found on the high plateau of the Old Castile meseta. To the north, the border it shares with La Rioja stretches out over 150 km; to the east, it borders on Arag≤n for 170 km; to the south, it is bounded by Guadalajara over 150 km; and to the west, its boundaries with Segovia and Burgos measure 70 km and 130 km, respectively.
Historically speaking, however, this was not always the case. Indeed, we have sufficient evidence to allow us to establish a series of well defined, widely differing epochs or stages in its history.
The Visigothic Era
Patena litúrgica. S VII. Museo Numantino (cgm)
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During the Visigothic period, the bishopric was called OXOMA, a name that derived from that of UXAMA, the Roman town of Celtiberian origin which, referred to in their writings by Pliny, Florus and Ptolomy, was well connected by means of the ASTURICA CAESARA AUGUSTA and UXAMA TERMANCIA SEGONTIA roads, the latter linking the Soria area with Toledo. There is no actual historical record pointing to the time in which the Gospel was first brought to the area, even though respected authors do not rule out the possibility of this having occurred in the latter days of the Empire.
The first documented reference to the existence of the bishopric of OXOMA informs us that the latter formed part of the Metropolitan Province of Toledo prior to 597, the year in which Bishop Juan signed one of the Councils of Toledo.
The Moslem Era
Fortaleza de Gormaz (ppa)
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The period of Moslem rule in Spain brought with it the practical disappearance of the Osma diocese, due to the fact that none of its successive bishops were able to reside here, all being forced to hold their office in the relative safety of the mountains of Cantabria. In 1011, Count Sancho Garcφa was to legally regain several of the fortified towns lining the River Duero, most importantly those of San Esteban, Clunia, Osma and Gormaz.
The Restoration of the Bishopric
Sepulcro de S. Pedro de Osma y bóvedas de la antigua sala capitular de la catedral de El Burgo de Osma (ppa)
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The restoration of the Osma bishopric did not in fact coincide with the MoslemsÆ large scale withdrawal from the lands of the diocese in 1011. A further 89 years were to pass before Pedro de Bourges was sent to Osma by Archbishop Bernardo of Toledo to become the first in a long line of bishops. Pedro St Peter of Osma and his successors pursued three basic aims in organizing the bishopric, namely the construction of the Cathedral of Santa Marφa de Osma, the recovery of the jurisdictional territory of the diocese, and the creation of the temporal estate of the bishopric at the heart of the town which, soon to be elevated to the status of Episcopal See, is known today as El Burgo de Osma.
The bishopric of El Burgo de Osma formed part of the Metropolitan Province of Toledo from 597 to 1861, the year in which it was brought under the Archbishopric of Burgos, to which it still belongs today.
Delimitación de la diócesis desde 1136 a 1955 (jlc)
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The boundaries of the diocese were laid down at the Council of Burgos in 1136 and would undergo no change until, by decree of the 1955 Consistorial Assembly, 18 parishes belonging to the diocese of Tarazona, 51 to that of Calahorra, 120 to that of Sigⁿenza and 1 to that of Burgos were transferred to the bishopric of Osma, which in turn was to relinquish 93 parishes to the diocese of Burgos and 2 to that of Segovia. In this way, the limits of the present day diocese came to coincide with those of the province of Soria.
