Monastery of San Vicente de Oviedo facts for kids
San Vicente de Oviedo is an important old church and monastery located in Oviedo, a city in Spain. It was first built a very long time ago, in the year 761. We know about its beginning from an old document called the Pacto monástico de Oviedo. This document, even though it's a copy from the 1100s, talks about the original founding in 781. It's thought to be one of the oldest papers about the kings of the Kingdom of Asturias. However, some people wonder if the document is completely true because the monastery isn't mentioned again until 969.
History of San Vicente
How it Started
An old document from 781 tells us that the monastery began even earlier, in 761. Two monks, Máximo and Fromestano, started a church in a place called Oveto. This place later grew into the city of Oviedo. Máximo and Fromestano are seen as the people who founded both the city and the church.
Fromestano wrote about how it all began:
I, Frómista (Fromestano), who has been an abbot for twenty years, along with my nephew Máximo the monk, came to this empty and wild place. We built a church here to honor Saint Vincent, who was a martyr of Christ and a deacon.
Growing Over Time
The church later became a monastery. The first abbot (the leader of the monks) was Oveco, who was in charge between 969 and 978. We know that the monastery started following the Benedictine Rule (a set of rules for monks) in 1042.
What it Looks Like Today
The building's style is Romanesque, which is a type of architecture from the Middle Ages. However, it was changed and updated in the 11th and 12th centuries.
The monastery has a beautiful cloister, which is a covered walkway around a courtyard. This cloister is now a special National Historic and Artistic Monument. Since 1952, it has been home to the Archaeological Museum of Asturias. Here, you can see many old artifacts and learn about the history of the region.
See also
In Spanish: Monasterio de San Vicente para niños
