If you like art and architectural works, you have surely heard of the Pre-Romanesque in the Peninsula. In the city of Oviedo, on the outskirts, we find several representatives of this trend, the most important being the church of Santa María del Naranco. This church is one of the tourist places par excellence in Oviedo, since we find a historical building of great importance.
It must be said that both Santa María del Naranco as San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Cristina de Lena represent high medieval Europe and are the most important buildings of that period. Today we are going to see the details about Santa María del Naranco, built during the reign of Ramiro I.
History of Santa María del Naranco
Santa María del Naranco is a building that was formerly part of a palace complex that also had San Miguel de Lillo. With the passage of time, this place was spoken of as a church, although its purpose is not clear, a royal classroom, a palace or a religious building. This Aula Regia changed condition when some parts of San Miguel collapsed, so that today Santa María del Naranco It is known as a pre-Romanesque church.
The entire complex was built during the eight years of the reign of Ramiro I. This church underwent various modifications during the Gothic and Baroque periods. In the year 1885 declared a National Monument and in 1929 it was restored. In 1985 it was also declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the section of the Churches of the Kingdom of Asturias.
The building
This palace for leisure purposes has a few twenty meters long and six wide. It has two floors with a clear division that are also joined by stairs from the outside. From the outside you can see a building that seems compact, with two floors and a gabled roof. On the longer sides we find doors with semicircular arches that offer the entrance to the building. In the north area is the staircase that gives access to the upper floor area.
All the facades at the ends are striking for their beauty, where you can appreciate the great importance of proportions. The balconies with three banked semicircular arches on the façade stand out, as this is one of its most significant details. The central arch is larger than the other two. These arches bring a lot of light to the upper area of the church. In the upper area you can also see a window with three arches that gives great symmetry and personality to the whole.
From inside you can visit the lower part and go up to the upper one by the ladder. The upper floor was where the nobles were, with a central room with a vaulted arch with six arches supported by corbels. This area opens to the outside towards the aforementioned balconies. The other plant has a similar distribution but on a smaller scale.
It must be said that the entire work is made of ashlar, a common material in Asturian art. In the set also other small service buildings, although the vast majority have disappeared. Hence, it is no longer appreciated that both San Miguel de Lillo and Santa María del Naranco are part of the same group. However, they are kept in a good state of conservation.
Decoration of Santa María del Naranco
Although this building seems very austere at first glance, as is the Romanesque and Pre-Romanesque, the truth is that it also has some decorative elements. It is very common to see the decoration with rope, that is, imitating ropes decorating certain areas such as capitals. In the capitals of the columns you can almost always see natural motifs, with plants and animals.
Useful information of Santa María del Naranco
We are facing one of the most important works of the high medieval and pre-Romanesque period in Asturias. A work that has been studied in art careers. It is easy to visit this place since it is located near Oviedo, on Mount Naranco. Just four kilometers from the historic center we can see this important work. There is a small price to pay for admission but it is definitely worth it. If we are in the city center, we can go to the bus station from the famous Uría street. From here it is possible to take a bus on line A that takes us to this mountain where we can visit Santa María del Naranco. If we like to walk, we must take into account that there is a certain climb, although if we are used to hiking it may be a good plan to visit this beautiful monument that also offers great views of the city.