Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias, Spain

The monuments were built after the fall of the Visigoths in 711, when the Umayyad Caliphate took power and the Iberian Peninsula came under Islamic rule. The flame of Christianity was kept alive in what was then the Kingdom of Asturias from the moment of its foundation in 718.

Built from 842 to 850 on the outskirts of the city of Oviedo, under the orders of King Ramiro I, Santa María del Naranco is a former royal residence. Situated on the slopes of Mount Naranco, to which it owes its name, the palace was converted into a church during the 10^th century.

The church, acting as the most significant piece of all European Pre-Romanesque architecture, is built on two levels, the upper of which features two exterior galleries, with distinctive triple archways, serving as lookout points to the east and the west of the building.

Displaying a unique and austere beauty, this monument was designed as a church right from the very start. Located in a meadow on Mount Naranco, it was part of the larger palatial complex, constructed by Ramiro I, that incorporated its neighbour, Santa Maria del Naranco.

Located on a hill overlooking the Lena River valley, this church is a smaller version of the two other monuments. Constructed around 850 during Ordoño I's reign, who came to the throne after the death of his father, Ramiro I, it sits approximately 25 kilometres south of Oviedo.

This is the largest of all the churches of the Pre-Romanesque era in Asturias, and, dating back to 812, it is also one of the oldest. It was erected during the reign of King Alfonso II, who took charge of rebuilding Oviedo after it had been destroyed by the Emirate of Córdoba. 

Located in the centre of Oviedo, this church, also known as Santullano, has in its interior one of the widest and best-preserved ensemble of European Pre-Romanesque wall paintings. The polychrome murals represent an idealised and spiritual vision of Heavenly Jerusalem.

The structure consists of three distinct elements: a pond, a small chapel and a channel, and is reminiscent of water-supply systems known from classical sites such as Pompeii. It was recently discovered to be part of a wider hydraulic system that supplied the city with water.

The Holy Chamber was created as a royal place of worship, a tomb for martyrs and a custodian of royal jewels and relics. This royal chapel would be the base upon which the Oviedo Cathedral was built.

The two-storey building, similar in appearance to the funeral structures of classical Rome, is one of Christianity’s most important reliquaries today. Its valuable treasures have drawn pilgrims seeking enlightenment since the Middle Ages.