Santa María del Naranco Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco

Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Asturias
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Inactive
Year consecrated	848
Location
Location	Oviedo, Spain
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Pre-Romanesque
Specifications
Direction of façade	O
Length	20 metres (66 ft)
Width	10 metres (33 ft)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, vi
Designated	1985 (9th session)
Reference no.	312
State Party	Spain
Region	Europe and North America
Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name: Santa María del Naranco
Type	Non-movable
24 January 1885
RI-51-0000047
Website
https://www.santamariadelnaranco.es/

View at night

The Church of Saint Mary at Mount Naranco (known as Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco in Spanish) is a very old and special building in northern Spain. It stands on the side of Mount Naranco, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the city of Oviedo.

This building is famous for its unique style, called Pre-Romanesque Asturian architecture. It was built over 1,100 years ago, not as a church at first, but as a royal palace! Later, it was turned into a church. Because of its importance, it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.

A Royal Palace Becomes a Church
- What the Old Records Say
Building Design and Features
Unique Building Style
Gallery
See also

A Royal Palace Becomes a Church

This amazing building was ordered by King Ramiro I of Asturias in the year 842. It was meant to be a royal palace, a fancy home for the king, and was part of a bigger group of buildings. The nearby Church of San Miguel de Lillo was also part of this royal complex.

The palace was finished in 842. It had some religious uses even then, and was officially made sacred in 848. What makes it special are its strong features, like its barrel vault ceiling. This type of ceiling is curved like the inside of a barrel. It was a very advanced way to build at the time, showing how buildings would be made in the later Romanesque period.

The palace was originally built for fun and relaxation. It was located on the sunny side of Mount Naranco, looking towards Oviedo. In the 12th century, many years after it was built, the palace was changed into a church dedicated to St. Mary.

What the Old Records Say

An old Latin message on the altar tells us when the building was made into a church. It mentions King Ramiro and his queen, saying they "renewed this dwelling, worn out by great age, and for them, you built this altar of blessing for glorious Saint Mary in this highest place." This shows how important the building was.

Old writers, called chroniclers, were amazed by this palace. Around the year 1015, about 300 years after it was built, a book called the Crónica Silense said that King Ramiro I built "a palace without wood, of admirable construction and vaulted below and above." They were impressed by its size, its beautiful decorations, and how it used curved stone ceilings instead of wooden ones.

Building Design and Features

The Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco has a rectangular shape and two floors.

Lower Floor: The Crypt

The lower floor is like a crypt, which is a low, hidden room. It has a main room in the middle and two smaller rooms on each side.

Upper Floor: The Main Hall

You reach the upper floor by climbing two outdoor staircases on the front of the building. This floor has the same layout as the lower one. It features a main hall with six rounded arches built into the walls. These arches are supported by columns that are part of the wall.

At each end of the main hall, there's a viewpoint, like a balcony. These viewpoints have three arches, similar to those on the walls. The arches rest on columns with cool spiral designs, which were common in Pre-Romanesque art. The curved ceiling of the upper floor is made of stone and is held up by six strong arches.

Amazing Decorations

The decorations in Santa María del Naranco are very rich and detailed. They combine ideas from painting, gold work, and textiles. Most of the fancy decorations are found in the main hall and the viewpoints on the upper floor.

Capitals: Look for the tops of the columns, called capitals. They are shaped like cubes and have designs inspired by Byzantine art. These designs often show animals and people, surrounded by rope-like patterns.
Medallions: You'll also see 32 round medallions placed around the building. They are all similar in size but have different designs inside, like four-legged animals, birds, grapes, and fantasy creatures. This style came from an even older period called the Visigothic era.
Figures: Above some of the medallions, there are decorative bands with four sculpted figures. The top two figures look like they are carrying heavy loads on their heads. The bottom two are soldiers on horseback with swords. These figures might represent different parts of society, like people who pray and warriors who protect them, or perhaps the king and the church working together.
Greek Cross: For the first time in this type of building, a Greek cross is carved into the stone. This cross was a symbol of the Asturian kings and was also believed to protect the building from harm. You can still see this symbol in many old buildings in Spain.

The Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco is truly special because it's one of the only palace complexes from this early time that still exists today.

Unique Building Style

The Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco is very different from other buildings of its time. It has some features that remind us of ancient Roman temples, even though it's a Christian church.

The inside decorations are also unique. The columns have spiral grooves, which is a classical style. But the tops of the columns (capitals) are angled and designed to support arches, which was new. On the walls, there are interesting medallions from which the ceiling arches seem to spring. These are special to this style and can also be seen in the nearby church of Santa Cristina de Lena.