Saturday, December 24, 2011

France/Spain 2011 - Day 10, Part 1 - Santa María del Naranco

"In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time." - Edward P. Tryon

***

France/Spain 2011
Day 10 - 26th March - Santa María del Naranco
(Part 1)

We started off the day by visiting the Palace Chapel of King Ramiro I of Asturias, San Miguel de Lillo. I didn't know where the rest of the palace was (we visited another building later, but presumably everything else had been wood or was otherwise destroyed).

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Sign pointing out it's a Pre-Romanesque monument

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Unfortunately it was under renovation.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Back view

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Door

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Guy on morning mountain walk

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Guy cycling up a very steep slope. Most Spanish cyclists wear very professional gear.

Next was the splended Santa María del Naranco, also pre-Romanesque. It was built as a palace but was later converted into a church.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Unfortunately it was swarming with a Spanish elderly tour group.

For some strange reason it reminded me of:



Probably because it was elevated, on a hill and the porch was large. Or maybe I was just feeling whimsical that morning.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Off-side view

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Member of the group and church

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
The city it overlooked (Oviedo) wasn't as pretty though

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
View of the graceful pillars

The Rough Guide proclaimed this "the greatest Asturian church, indeed the architectural gem of the principality". I was inclined to agree.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Steps up on both sides

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Through the arch

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Side

Entrance was only by guided tour, and the Spanish group had crowded us out. We were asked to wait for the next tour even though there were only 3 of us (and we had come first), but eventually we got them to let us in. This was fortunate, or we'd have had to skip it to hit León before siesta.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Interior view: I was going to call the circles rosettes, but that's the wrong term.

Inside, it was very bare.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Old man playing golf with his stick

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Porch

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Porch architecture

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Old people in church

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
More of the circular design

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Columns

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
There were some pictures of the other church, which had some cartoony wall paintings.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Barrel vaulted roof

We then went to the basement level.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Cross windows

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Windows from outside

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Single window

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Window detail

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Windows

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
Church from side

The hills were so nice, I was tempted to do a Sound of Music thing, but we wouldn't have been able to hit León, and I had no soundtrack.

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.usFree Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us