San Salvador de Valdediós: A Cultural Visit to Pre-Romanesque Art

It is often said that San Salvador de Valdediós, affectionately known as El Conventín, is the last great work of art of the Asturian monarchy and one of the undisputed jewels of Asturian Pre-Romanesque Art. Located in a natural valley of great beauty, just a few kilometres from the town of Villaviciosa, its architectural importance is extraordinary and had a considerable influence on later Romanesque art.

The church was built under the rule of Alfonso III, the Great, shortly before the capital of the kingdom was transferred to León. Inside, a marble slab tells the story of its consecration in the year 893 in the presence of seven bishops, including such important bishops as those of Santiago, Lugo, Astorga and Zaragoza. There was much at stake in this Valdediós ceremony: ecclesiastical reorganisation, not only in Asturias but in the Christian kingdoms of the North as a whole.

The consecration also enjoyed royal patronage, as was immortalised on the main façade with a relief of the Victoria Cross - a substantial sign of the Asturian monarchy.

Alfonso III always maintained a strong link with this place, as he not only ordered the construction of the church but also chose it for his retirement, once he had been dispossessed of his throne by his son García I of León. In fact, historians have always maintained that this temple belonged to a larger palace complex, located in this bucolic valley known since ancient times as Boige or Boides.

Three centuries after its consecration, a Cistercian monastery, Santa María de Valdediós, was built next to the Conventín. It would be the Cistercian monks themselves who would rename this hidden and fertile valley with the more pious"Valley of God", "Valdediós". With its centuries-old trees and fresh water streams, time stands still here, suspended in the form of silence and peace. The harmonious silhouette of the temple itself is in perfect communion with the landscape and can be observed from all angles. On a first approach we already take good note of its true proportions and merits.

Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931, it stands at a historical crossroads, managing to syncretise different cultural and artistic currents in the same time and place. A masterful synthesis that anticipates, a century in advance, very recognisable forms of early European Romanesque architecture. On the south façade, for example, we find an elongated portico (closed and vaulted) for the monarch's access. The existence of a porch in a pre-Romanesque church is an exceptional fact that centuries later would be found in innumerable Castilian Romanesque parishes, serving as a place of meeting and community life.

Its syncretism is also exceptional in the interior. The basilica floor plan, its three vaulted naves and the verticality of its proportions are reminiscent of San Miguel de Lillo, while the zenithal luminosity of some of its windows and other decorative motifs are inspired by the Mozarabic style of León. The capitals of the main chapel have the typical sogueado collarino, the abacus and other braided motifs typical of the Asturian style. However, the capitals in the rest of the church (with the exception of those in the side chapels, in the Corinthian tradition) belong to a sculptural workshop from Al-Andalus.

From the south portico there is a staircase that allowed Alfonso III to access an elevated tribune with a privileged view of the altar. The tribune was illuminated by a large window decorated with scrolls and crowned with three crosses. The central one is the Cross of Victory, of a majestic golden yellow, with masterfully painted jewels and precious stones; the letters alpha and omega hang from its arms. This ecclesiastical throne was a further sign of the omnipotent authority of the monarch.

The pictorial work of Valdediós not only embellishes but also communicates a message of theological dimensions, enhanced by a carefully orchestrated play of light. The central nave, higher than the side naves, allows light to filter through a series of openings in the upper walls, creating an enveloping illumination that invites introspection and recollection. Under this atmosphere, the paintings (remains of an original decoration of Visigothic and late Roman heritage) shine with their own light. The rich pictorial decoration of the time was intended to elevate the spirit through a hypnotic effect. Intertwined geometric designs and vegetal motifs, triumphal crosses and chrismons, remains of human figures... The best preserved fragments are to be found in the main chapel. In its triumphal arch, the peculiar zigzag decoration of the archivolt is reminiscent of early Christian art from Egyptian lands. The vault is notable for its coffers, a sequence of circles and quatrefoils arranged with a calculated asymmetry reminiscent of the central apse of Santullano.

On the Valdediós walls we also discover imprecatory inscriptions and curses carved with a deterrent effect. Such as the one on the main entrance leading to the vestibule, where a warning challenges those who seek to desecrate the church or its legacy:
"Let this temple be called St Saviour's ... Whosoever shall seek to break my offerings, let him utterly disappear; let him be deprived, O Christ, of thy light, and let the earth swallow him alive."

But if we don't go with bad intentions, this church will welcome us with open arms and its powerful artistic legacy. A magical place where the beautiful landscape also lives on in the form of history and culture.