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Via Nostalgia
Santa María del Naranco 1
Santa María del Naranco 2
Santa María del Naranco 3
Santa María del Naranco 4
Santa María del Naranco 5
© Wikimedia Commons contributors / CC BY-SA
UNESCO WHCCulturalInscribed 1985312-002

Santa María del Naranco

Component of Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias

Overview

In the 9th century the flame of Christianity was kept alive in the Iberian peninsula in the tiny Kingdom of the Asturias. Here an innovative pre-Romanesque architectural style was created that was to play a significant role in the development of the religious architecture of the peninsula. Its highest achievements can be seen in the churches of Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo, Santa Cristina de Lena, the Cámara Santa and San Julián de los Prados, in and around the ancient capital city of Oviedo. Associated with them is the remarkable contemporary hydraulic engineering structure known as La Foncalada.

About Santa María del Naranco

The church of Saint Mary at Mount Naranco is a pre-Romanesque Asturian building 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, part of a larger complex that also incorporated the nearby church of San Miguel de Lillo, 100 meters away. The palace was completed in 842 and had in part a religious function, being consecrated 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.

Read more on Wikipedia

Selection Criteria

(i)(ii)(iv)

Details

Countries
Spain
ISO Codes
ES
Coordinates
43.3791, -5.8659
View on UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias← All UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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Santa María del Naranco

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Santa María del Naranco

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Santa María del Naranco