Church of San Esteban de Aramil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of San Esteban de Aramil
Location	Asturias,  Spain

The Church of San Esteban de Aramil is an old church located in Asturias, Spain. Its full name in Spanish is Iglesia de San Esteban de Aramil. This church was first written about in documents way back in 1240. It was officially named a special cultural monument in 1960.

History of the Church

This church was built in the Romanesque style. This style was very popular between the 10th and 13th centuries. We don't know the exact year the church was built. The first time it was mentioned was in 1240. This was in documents about a gift of goods to a monastery called Valdediós. The gift was made by Alvar Diaz and his wife.

There are two main ideas about how the church started:

• Some people think it's the last part of an old monastery that used to be there.
• Others believe it was a church for a nobleman. This means it would have been a private chapel for a castle and also served the nearby town.

The church was given "Cultural Monument" status on March 23, 1960. This important decision was made public in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) on June 29, 1960. This status helps protect the church as an important part of history and culture.

Church Design and Decorations

The Church of San Esteban de Aramil shows classic features of Romanesque architecture. It has a main rectangular room, called a nave. This room ends at the southern side with a rounded section called an apse. The church also has many beautiful sculptures. These carvings can be seen on the doors and in the apse.

The West Doorway

The main entrance, called the West Portal, has a special design. It features semi-circular arches, known as archivolts. The outer part of these arches has a cool zigzag pattern. The inner part is smooth and plain. This west door has a large semi-circular arch with two smaller arches inside. These arches rest on separate columns. Besides these columns, you can see carvings of plants. There are also checkered patterns on all the arches. These patterns are supported by thin columns that have carved lily flowers at the top, acting as capitals.

The South Doorway

The southern entrance is smaller but has a similar design to the western door. It also has two semi-circular arches. The inside of this doorway is decorated with special patterns called Zamoran scrolls. These designs came from a style popular in Normandy. The outside of the doorway shows pointy heads that look like they are biting. There is also a round molding with carvings of different imaginary animals.

The Apse Window

In the rounded apse section of the church, there is a small window in the center. Only the top edge, called the cornice, is decorated around this window. This semi-circular window has special stone supports, called corbels, and a decorative canopy above it.

See also

In Spanish: Iglesia de San Esteban (Aramil) para niños