Santa María del Naranco
| Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco (Spanish) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Oviedo, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°22′44.5″N 5°51′57.5″W / 43.379028°N 5.865972°WCoordinates: 43°22′44.5″N 5°51′57.5″W / 43.379028°N 5.865972°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Asturias |
| Year consecrated | 848 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Inactive |
| Heritage designation | World Heritage Site |
| Website | Official Website |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Pre-Romanesque |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | O |
| Length | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Width | 10 metres (33 ft) |
| 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 |
| Official name: Santa María del Naranco | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Designated | 24 January 1885 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0000047 |
The church of St Mary at Mount Naranco (Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco; Asturian: Ilesia de Santa María'l Narancu) is a Roman Catholic Asturian pre-Romanesque Asturian architecture church on the slope of Mount Naranco situated 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Oviedo, northern Spain. 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. It was completed in 848. Its structural features, such as the barrel vault — with transverse ribs corresponding one-to-one with 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. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1885.
Built as a recreational palace, it is situated on the southern side of Mount Naranco facing the city, and was originally part of a series of royal buildings located in the outskirts. Its character as a civil building changed in the 12th century when it was converted into a church dedicated to St. Mary. The Palace of Santa María del Naranco, involved a significant stylistic, morphological, constructive and decorative renovation of Pre-Romanesque, supplementing it with new, innovative resources, representing a leap forward with respect to immediately previous periods.
On its altar, a Latin inscription provides the date of consecration:(...) Per Famulum Tuum Ranimirum. Principe Gloriosum Cum Paterna Regina Coniuge Renovasti Hoc Habitaculum Nimia. Vetustate Consumptvm Et Pro Eis Aedificasti Hanc Haram Benedictionis Gloriosae. Sanctae Mariae In Locum Hunc Summum Exaudi Eos De Caelorum Habitaculo Tuo Et. (...) Die VIIIIo Kalendas Iulias Era Dccclxxxvia.
...
Wikipedia