Naranco - Santa María

The little church of Santa María de Naranco lies below the road on the left, in a grassy area surrounded by trees from which there is a fine view of Oviedo. Originally a hall in the palace of Ramiro I of Asturias (c. 850), it was converted into a church in the 10th and 11th centuries. At each end of the building, which is in the form of an elongated rectangle, is an open porch or loggia with a three-arched opening. On the side facing the road a staircase leads up to the doorway of the church. Both here and in the interior of the church note the twisted columns of Asturian type, with Corinthian capitals outside and trapezoid capitals inside. Between the arches are medallions with relief ornament.