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Pantheon of Asturian Kings facts for kids

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The Pantheon of Asturian Kings is a special chapel inside the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo, Spain. It's a very important burial place for many of the kings and queens who ruled the old kingdoms of Asturias and León a long time ago.

The chapel is called Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto, which means "Our Lady of the Chaste King." This name refers to Alfonso II of Asturias, who was known as "the Chaste." He is believed to be the person who started building the cathedral. The very first royal burial place was in a church from the 800s, on the same spot. But in the early 1700s, a bishop named Tomás Reluz decided to tear down the old church and pantheon because they were in bad shape. They were rebuilt and opened again in 1712.

The First Royal Burial Place

In the 800s, Alfonso II of Asturias, who was the king of Asturias, wanted to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in his new capital, Oviedo. His plan was to create a special burial place, called a royal pantheon, for himself and his wife, Queen Berta. This church later became known as the Church of Our Lady of the Chaste King, named after him.

Where Kings Were Buried

The first royal pantheon was in the front part of the church, called the narthex. Usually, you enter a church through the narthex, but here, the main entrance was on the side. This meant the narthex was used only for burying the Asturian kings and queens.

Alfonso II por Víctor Hevia 1-ret
A statue of King Alfonso II by Víctor Hevia Granda at the cathedral.

This first pantheon was a small, rectangular room. It was about 6 meters (20 feet) wide and 3.6 meters (12 feet) deep, with a wooden ceiling. Above it was the church's upper choir, a special area for singers. On both sides of the pantheon were small rooms, one with stairs leading to the choir. The other room might have been used for storing things needed for church services.

The pantheon was connected to the main part of the church by a wide door and a small window. Both were covered with heavy iron bars, so not much sunlight could get in.

How They Were Buried

The royal pantheon looked quite simple, but it held the bodies of many kings and queens from the Asturian-Leonese royal family over hundreds of years. People at the time said the tombs were very close together, so close that you couldn't walk between them. Because there wasn't enough space, some royal family members had to be buried in other parts of the church. Not all bodies were in tombs built into the walls or standing alone. Some were buried under the floor, covered by plain stone slabs, often without names.

Near the stairs to the upper choir, there was a tomb that was highly respected in the 1500s. Many believed saints were buried there. However, a writer named Ambrosio de Morales thought the bodies had been moved. This tomb was covered with a marble slab that had a very old Latin message. It was hard to read, but it seemed to say something about "obtaining the Kingdom of Heaven."

Close to the entrance of the royal pantheon, about 60 centimeters (2 feet) above the floor, was another tomb. It had a simple, uncarved lid with no writing. But because of its important location and old traditions, historians generally agree that this was the tomb of Alfonso II of Asturias, who founded the church and the pantheon.

Other members of the royal family were buried in different parts of the original Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto, outside the main pantheon. These included:

Protecting Royal Remains

During a time when Muslim armies were very powerful in Spain, a leader named Almanzor led a military campaign in 986 against the kingdom of León. To protect the royal remains from being disrespected by the Muslim armies, King Bermudo II of León ordered that bodies of kings and queens from León, Astorga, and other places be brought to the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in Oviedo.

These remains were placed in seven wooden boxes. Since there wasn't enough room in the royal pantheon, they were placed in other parts of the church. The boxes held the remains of important people like:

After Almanzor died, King Alfonso V of León moved most of these remains back to León. However, the bodies of kings Alfonso III and Fruela II, and queens Jimena, Munia, Elvira Menéndez, Urraca Sánchez, and Teresa Ansúrez stayed in the royal pantheon in Oviedo.

The New Royal Pantheon

Building the New Chapel

By the late 1600s, the old royal pantheon and the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto were in very poor condition. In 1696, King Charles II of Spain ordered that money from certain areas should be used to help fix and maintain the old church. A few years later, in 1705, the church leaders told the king that the church and pantheon were still in bad shape. Bishop Tomás Reluz suggested tearing down the old church, and the king agreed.

Bishop Reluz was the main person who pushed for building the new Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in the early 1700s. The new royal pantheon was placed between the pillars on the left side of the new chapel, behind an iron gate. Light came in through an oval window. This new location showed that the chapel was now more focused on being a place for the Virgin Mary than just a royal burial site. However, this design also allowed for a wider main aisle in the new chapel.

The agreement to build the new chapel was signed on November 10, 1705, by Bishop Reluz and the master builder Bernabé de Hazas. It was expected to cost a lot of money and take three years to build. But on August 2, 1709, the dome of the new chapel collapsed while it was still being built, sadly causing several deaths. The chapel was finally finished in 1712.

What the New Pantheon Looks Like

The Royal Pantheon is located on the northern side of the Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in the Oviedo Cathedral. It is one of the most richly decorated parts of the cathedral, with beautiful carvings of plants and royal symbols.

Inside, there are six special areas, called niches, where the remains of many kings and queens are kept in decorative urns. A plaque on the chapel wall lists the names of those buried there, though it has some small mistakes.

The beautiful iron gates for the royal pantheon and the church were made by Andrés García Casielles and put in place in 1713. The gate that blocks off the Royal Pantheon has the coat of arms of King Philip V of Spain on it.

PanteonReal-Oviedo3
The Royal Pantheon today.

In the middle of the Royal Pantheon, there is a sarcophagus (a stone coffin) covered by a marble tombstone from the 400s. This is the only tomb that survived from the very first pantheon. Some studies suggest this sarcophagus was used to carry the remains of King Alfonso III of Asturias and his wife Queen Jimena from Astorga to Oviedo. The stone coffin itself is plain, but the marble lid is coffin-shaped and covered in carvings. There's an old Latin message carved on it that seems to say it holds the body of someone named Ithacius. The exact meaning of the message is a bit unclear, but it talks about a "tender body" in a "precious marble" tomb. This old tomb was reused in the new Royal Pantheon, but it's not clear whose body is inside it now.

Kings and Queens Buried Here

According to historians, the following kings and queens from the Asturian-Leonese royal family are buried in the beautiful urns of the Royal Pantheon:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Panteón de reyes de la Catedral de Oviedo para niños

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