Pre-Romanesque Oviedo

Introduction

The Iberian peninsula was ruled by the Visigoths from the 5th to the 8th century. In 711, the troops of the Umayyad Caliphate killed Roderic, the King of the Visigoths, took their capital Toledo, and soon conquered most of the Iberian peninsula. The Visigothic army and the Asturian mercenaries who supported them retreated to the Cantabrian Mountains in the north. In 718, they appointed Pelagius, a Visigoth nobleman, as their leader and established the Kingdom of Asturias.

In 718 or 722, the army led by Pelagius defeated the Umayyad troops in the Battle of Covadonga. This event is considered to be the beginning of the Reconquista, or the Christian reconquest of Iberia. Over the following two centuries, the kings of the dynasty founded by Pelagius gradually recovered much of the territory from the Muslims.

The first capital of the Kingdom of Asturias was Cangas de Onís. In the second half of the 8th century, the court was briefly in San Martín del Rey Aurelio and in Pravia, until it was moved to Oviedo by Alfonso II (791-842).

In Oviedo (Uviéu in Asturian), Alfonso II initiated a large-scale construction process and built several churches and palaces for himself. These buildings were designed by Tioda, the court architect, and represent the Pre-Romanesque style of Asturian type. This style was influenced by Roman, Visigothic, Mozarabic, and Asturian vernacular architecture, but had its own characteristics and personality. The most important building constructed at this time was the Church of San Julián de los Prados on the outskirts of Oviedo.

The style was dramatically renewed under the next king, Ramiro I (842-850). He built a palace complex on the southern slope of Mount Naranco outside Oviedo, with two of the most spectacular buildings of the Asturian Pre-Romanesque: the Palace of Santa María del Naranco and the Church of San Miguel de Lillo.

In Oviedo, some remains of buildings erected by Alfonso III (866-910), the last major Asturian king, also survive. After his death, the kingdom was divided into three: Asturias, Galicia, and León. These kingdoms reunited again in 924 and formed the Kingdom of León, with the capital in León.

Sites

My portfolios contain photos of all the Pre-Romanesque buildings in the city centre of Oviedo and its immediate vicinity. They do not include the Pre-Romanesque churches in the farther reaches of the Asturian countryside. The last portfolio contains images of the three most important pieces of Asturian goldsmithery and jewellery, all held in the Holy Chamber of Oviedo. A notable omission is the Casket of San Genadio of the Cathedral of Astorga from the early 10th century.

Holy Chamber & Tower of San Miguel | Cathedral of San Salvador | Tioda, early 9th century; late 9th century
San Tirso el Real | Plaza Alfonso II el Casto & Calle Santa Ana | Tioda, late 8th or early 9th century
San Julián de los Prados | Calle Selgas 2 | Tioda, 830s
Santa María de Bendones | Bendones village, 5 km southeast of city centre of Oviedo | Tioda, first half of 9th century (?)
Santa María del Naranco | Mount Naranco, 3 km northwest of city centre of Oviedo | 840s
San Miguel de Lillo | Mount Naranco, 3 km northwest of city centre of Oviedo | 840s
Foncalada | Calle Foncalada, Callejón Foncalada, Calle Gascona & Calle Huertas | late 9th or early 10th century
Archaeological Museum of Asturias | Calle San Vicente 3-5