- Title Carreño Asturias Centre
- Address Address: ■ 33439 - L' Alto la Ilesia
- Locality Locality: L' Alto la Ilesia
- Period Period: Romanesque (13th century)
- Management Management: Ecclesiastical
The church is one of the few examples of Asturian Romanesque architecture with three doorways, although the north doorway is now walled up, the south doorway has a slightly pointed arch with a double archivolt supported by imposts with geometric decoration, columns and capitals. The western doorway is located on a projecting part of the building. It is flared and has three decorated archivolts resting on columns with decorated capitals. One of the capitals on the left jamb has a human figure.
During the 17th-18th centuries, it underwent major remodelling with the construction of the current square chancel, the portico, which surrounds the western and southern façades, and the sacristy attached to the south side.
The interior has been extensively remodelled, having been destroyed during the Civil War. The original wooden roof of the nave has been replaced by a barrel vault with lunettes and transverse arches. The chancel area is covered with a ribbed vault decorated with corbels.
The apse area is separated from the nave by a semicircular triumphal arch supported by two pairs of columns with decorated capitals.
The Church of Santa María was restored in 1986 and 1991 by the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.