San Julián de los Prados

, Also known as San Julián de los Prados Santullano, is a pre-Romanesque church from the early 9th century. It is located in Oviedo, the capital of the autonomous community of Asturias. In 1917, the church as a cultural monument ( Monumento Nacional) was declared and recorded along with the Cámara Santa in the Cathedral of San Salvador and the Fountain House La Foncalada in Oviedo in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Monuments 1998. Since then, San Julián de los Prados belongs to the already 1985 registered Monumentos de Oviedo y del Reino de Asturias ( Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias ) as Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Cristina de Lena.

History

The San Julián de los Prados church in the reign of the Asturian king Alfonso II the Chaste ( 783 and 791-842 ) dated. The exact date of the church is not known. In chronicles of the late 9th century, it is mentioned that Alfonso II to his palace a church in honor of the Egyptian martyr Julian and his wife Basilissa erected at some distance. The name of San Julián de los Prados (Saint Julian in the meadows ) is an indication that the church was built in the open field, outside the city walls.

Architecture

San Julián de los Prados is a three-aisled basilica. The main and side aisles are separated by three arcades with round arches resting on pillars of supporting capitals. For unusually high and wide transept, which the nave surmounted with a height of eleven meters by two meters, a triumphal arch opens. In the east, close to three rectangular apses, which have a brick brick barrel vault and the only vaulted space parts. The barrel vault of the central apse rests on blind arcades. Columns and capitals are reused and come from the late Roman era. There is a Giebelädikula on the end wall of the central apse. The nave bears an oak wood ceiling. The clerestory windows are rectangular and have some maintain original wooden lintels. Your window grilles were replaced during the renovation from 1912 to 1915. The north side of the apse window still retains its original Stucktransenna. As in other pre-Romanesque churches there are in San Julián de los Prados, a non-accessible, open to the outside only through a triple window over the central apse chamber ( cámara oculta ). Outside close to the north and south of the transept and the nave to the west by small lobbies, which protrude from the almost rectangular floor plan of the church. The building is constructed from smaller, horizontally layered and assembled with mortar stones. Buttresses and corners are reinforced with ashlar. Inside and out, the building was plastered. In some places can still be seen that joints were originally carved on the exterior plaster, the ashlar masonry should pretend.

Sculptural decoration

There are relief panels of marble, which also are ancient and may have been created in the 8th century for a predecessor of the San Salvador Cathedral at the entrance pillars to the central apse. On these plates enclosed by squares rosettes, six-and eight corner are shown with plant motifs. The upper part of the panels is kapitellartig designed with two plastically worked hand ranks and as an abacus overlying tendrils bar with flower buds.

Murals

The murals of San Julián de los Prados go back to the period of the Church and are dated to the period between 812-842. Originally, all interior walls and vaults were covered with paintings. They were al fresco executed, the color was applied to the still wet plaster. Good to see the lines that have been carved into the soft plaster layer, and which should distinguish the different areas of color from each other. The murals in the nave can be divided into three areas. In the lower area, the base zone, you will find marble imitations. In the overlying zone building, perhaps churches represented, with corner towers and arcades, columns and capitals, with gables and curtains in front of the window openings. In the upper zone of palaces are shown. Images of people does not exist.

As the only Christian symbol you will find the cross. It is four times shown in the cross - and long- house, under painted, decorated with ovals and circles arches resting on pillars with capitals also painted. The cross is decorated with ovals, squares and circles, reminiscent of gems and identify it as Gemmenkreuz. From the cross- arms hanging on chains, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, which refer to God the Father as the first, the beginning, and God the Son as the last, the end. The figures on the arms of the cross, in the extension of the chains are perhaps to be interpreted as chalices with tongues of flame. At the foot of the cross can be seen in the open arcades curtains are mounted on both sides, two smaller buildings. The buildings are the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and the cross symbolize shown to refer to the True Cross, which. According to the legend of St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great was discovered. The vault of the apse take the geometric motifs of the relief panels on the pillars of the central apse on again and with circles, squares, hexagons and octagons painted.