Santa María del Naranco
| Church of St Mary at Mount Naranco Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco (in Spanish) | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Asturias |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Inactive |
| Year consecrated | 848 |
| Location | |
| Location | Oviedo, Spain |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°22′45″N 5°51′58″W / 43.37907°N 5.86598°W |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| 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 |
| Website | |
| https://www.santamariadelnaranco.es/ | |
The church of Saint Mary at Mount Naranco (Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco; Asturian: Ilesia de Santa María'l Narancu) 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.
It was declared a Monumento Nacional on 24 January 1885. Along with all other national monuments of Spain, it was classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural in June 1985. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1985.