Santa María del Naranco

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Coordinates: 43°22′44″N 5°51′57″W / 43.37889, -5.86583

Santa María del Naranco is an Asturian pre-Romanesque church situated 3 km (1.86 miles) from Oviedo. Ramiro I of Asturias ordered it to be built as a royal palace as part of a larger complex that also incorporated the nearby church of San Miguel de Lillo, 100 meters away. Its structural features, as the barrel vault with transverse ribs corresponding one to one to contraforts at the exterior, make it a clear precursor of the Romanesque construction. The exterior decorations, as well as the use of stilted arches mark the intended verticality of the composition. It was converted into a church at the end of the 13th century.

It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1985.

1 Translation from the Spanish Wikipedia
2 History
3 Gallery
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Translation from the Spanish Wikipedia

Santa Maria del Naranco is an Asturian Pre-Romanesque church located three kilometers from Oviedo, on the south side of Mount Naranco that originally was a Palace for King Ramiro I.

[edit] History

King Ramiro I ordered the building to be constructed as a palace being completed in the year 848 AD. It formed part of an architectural complex that included the Church San Miguel de Lillo which is only one hundred meters distance. In spite of originally being a palace, Santa Maria del Naranco was converted into a church in the late 13th century because several of the naves and altar area of San Miguel de Lillo had collapsed. It is located on the southern side of Mount Naranco where a forest grew anciently and there was an abundance of animals to hunt which meant the palace took on the character of a country palace or a royal residence where people passed their free time.