Church of San Juan, Santianes de Pravia

The church retains some of the pre-Romanesque windows built into the Romanesque walls. The original pre-Romanesque baptistry is virtually unique being square and set in the ground - the font is Romanesque. In both cases the water would have been poured over the person being baptised.

The west end has been restored in recent years, there is also a replica of a Visigothic panel. The base of a pillar from the original church is near the east end.

In the museum there are artefacts from the site as well as the fragment of the word-labrynth. The candlestick is enamelled and is believed to be from the 13th century.

Pravia and Santianes

On our way home we stopped in Pravia for a few days. An interesting town and not far from Santianes which we also visited.

The statue of Silo Rey (Silo King of Asturias 774-783) stands in the plaza near the church of Santa Maria. At his feet is a replica of the letter-labrynth which reads in Latin 'King Silo made me' in whichever direction it is read. A fragment is in the museum in Santianes.

The church had recently had a floral decoration for a festival, very similar to the well dressing floral displays in Derbyshire. The petals are pressed into damp clay to make the picture.

The church of San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista (St John the Apostle and Evangelist) Santianes is Romnesque. The original pre-Romanesque church, dating from the reign of Silo, was begun in 774 and completed in 783. Parts of the original church may be present in the Romanesque building. Santianes itself was the capital of Asturias, when it was moved from Cangas de Onis by King Silo in 774, before moving to Oviedo under Alfonso II in 791.

Pravia

The letter-labrynth

Silo Rey

Pravia

Santa Maria la Major

Floral picture

Santianes:-

Church of San Juan

L:- from the west

R:- from the east