SECANDA paper models for downloading

About...

The beautiful small church Santa Cristina de Lena is one of the few remaining testimonies of the pre-Romanesque Asturian art. The Asturias region was the High Middle Ages the only part of the Iberian Peninsula which did not fall under Muslim rule, due to its mountainous topography and its low urbanization. There a small kingdom fell into place where an original architecture emerged, in spite of having inherited the old Visigoth tradition.

Santa Cristina de Lena is very old, having been built in the middle of the ninth century, during the reign of Ramiro I, King of Asturias. Its interior decoration is very similar to that of the former palace of Ramiro I in Oviedo (Santa Maria del Naranco), so close that the two buildings appear to have had the same supervisor. As it incorporates some inner elements of the Visigoth time reused, it is possible that this church has replaced an earlier Visigoth sanctuary. Externally, one is struck by the abundance of buttresses (32!) on such a small building, which gives it, viewed at certain angles, an antique temple appearance.

Santa Cristina de Lena church is registered in Registro General de Bienes de Interés Cultural (Historical Spanish Heritage) since 1885.

Santa Cristina de Lena church is classified, with some other Asturian Pre-Romanesque buildings, by UNESCO in the World Heritage since 1985.

License: common law (copyright) | Author: Secanda

Free use for private purposes. Any commercial use is prohibited.

Categories: Churches, Chapels and Abbeys | Middle Ages s.l. | Early Middle Ages | Spain |