San Miguel de Lillo, Pre-Romanesque church on Mount Naranco, Oviedo, Spain.
San Miguel de Lillo is a Pre-Romanesque church on Mount Naranco near Oviedo, built on a basilica plan with three aisles. The building features tall columns with decorated capitals and distinctive stone latticework windows that create an intricate pattern across the façade.
King Ramiro I of Asturias commissioned this church in 842 and consecrated it with his wife Paterna in 848. The structure exemplifies early medieval architecture during the early Christian period in the Asturian region.
The church displays artistic elements reflecting Byzantine and North African traditions, particularly visible in its marble pilasters and ornate capitals. These influences appear throughout the stone carvings and decorative details you can observe today.
The church is reached by a short path of about 150 meters from the parking area and sits near Santa María del Naranco church. Wear comfortable shoes since the path climbs uphill and walking is the best way to explore the hilltop location.
The building contains a rare elevated platform accessed through a narrow stone stairway with four decorated arches inside. These four arches correspond to four separate doorways and represent an unusual architectural feature from the Pre-Romanesque period.
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