Cripta de Santa Leocadia, Medieval crypt in Cathedral of San Salvador, Oviedo, Spain
Cripta de Santa Leocadia is a rectangular underground chamber beneath the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo with a barrel vault roof. The space divides into two sections: a nave and a presbytery where the stone altar remains in its original position.
King Alfonso III ordered the crypt built in the 9th century to house sacred remains of martyrs brought from southern territories. This transfer of relics marked a turning point when Oviedo became an important religious center.
The underground space became a place of pilgrimage during medieval times, where believers came to venerate the remains of martyrs. These visits shaped how people used the cathedral and marked it as a spiritual destination across the region.
The crypt can be entered through two separate passages located at different sides of the underground chamber within the cathedral complex. The space is relatively compact and low-roofed, so visitors should expect tight conditions.
Five graves occupy the space, including memorial stones and a limestone sarcophagus from the late medieval period that reveal centuries of burial here. These tombs stand as quiet witnesses to continuous religious devotion across generations.
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