⛪ Santa María del Naranco
9th-century pre-Romanesque church and former royal palace near Oviedo, Spain
📌 Fast Facts
- Location: Mount Naranco, 3 km north of Oviedo, Spain
- Built: 842–850 under Ramiro I as a royal palace
- Converted: To a church in the 12th century
- UNESCO inscription: 1985
Santa María del Naranco is a church in northern Spain that represents one of Europe's most significant examples of pre-Romanesque architecture. Originally constructed as a royal palace during the reign of Ramiro I in the 9th century, the structure was later converted to religious use, reflecting the growing influence of the Church in the Kingdom of Asturias. Santa María del Naranco was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 as part of the "Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the ...