Villa Soriano

Town in Soriano Department, Uruguay

Villa Soriano Santo Domingo de Soriano
Town
33°24′0″S 58°19′12″W / 33.40000°S 58.32000°W / -33.40000; -58.32000
Country	Uruguay
Department	Soriano Department
Population (2011)
• Total	1,124
Time zone	UTC -3
Postal code	75005
Dial plan	+598 453 (+5 digits)

Villa Soriano is a town in the Soriano Department of Uruguay. Historically, it was also known as Santo Domingo de Soriano. It had acquired the status of "Villa" (town) before the Independence of Uruguay.^[1]

Geography

It is located on the northwest end of Route 96, on the south bank of the river Río Negro, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) before it discharges into Río Uruguay.

History

In 1624, a Franciscan Mission established a village for the indigenous tribes of the area named Santo Domingo de Soriano. It constituted the first permanent European settlement on Uruguayan soil, predating the foundation of Colonia del Sacramento by more than fifty years. It was moved to its current location in 1708. The construction of its church began in 1751.

The town has strong associations with General José Gervasio Artigas, who is honoured by Uruguayans as the 19th century liberator of the country.

Population

In 2011, Villa Soriano had a population of 1,124.^[2]^[1]

Year	Population
1908	6,303
1963	1,036
1975	1,120
1985	1,068
1996	1,074
2004	1,184
2011	1,124

Places of worship

St. Dominic Soriano Chapel (Roman Catholic)

References

^ ^a ^b "Statistics of urban localities (1908–2004)" (PDF). INE. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-13. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
^ "Censos 2011 Cuadros Soriano". INE. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.

External links

https://www.villasoriano.com/ Page documenting the founding of Villa Santo Domingo Soriano, Uruguay, in 1624. Based on Wilde Marotta's book and Federico Marotta's research work.