The Pantheon of Asturian Kings is a chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in the Cathedral of San Salvador,

Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located ap ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is the burial place of many of the rulers of the medieval kingdoms of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

and León. The name ''Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto'' ("Our Lady of the Chaste King") alludes to

Alfonso II of Asturias Alfonso II of Asturias (842), nicknamed the Chaste ( es, el Casto), was the king of Asturias during two different periods: first in the year 783 and later from 791 until his death in 842. Upon his death, Nepotian, a family member of undeterm ...

, known as ''"the Chaste"'', considered the founder of the cathedral. The original royal pantheon was located in the 9th-century Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto on the same site. On the initiative of Tomás Reluz, Bishop of Oviedo, that pantheon and the church were demolished in the early 18th century due to their poor state of conservation. Both were rebuilt and reconsecrated in 1712.

The primitive Pantheon of Kings of the Cathedral of Oviedo

In the 9th century Alfonso II of Asturias,

king of Asturias This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Asturias, a kingdom in the Iberian peninsula during the Early Middle Ages. It originated as a refuge for Visigothic nobles following the conquest of Iberia by the Umayyad Caliphate. Following the for ...

, ordered the erection of a church of Our Lady in his new capital of

, with the intention of establishing a royal pantheon as a final resting place for himself and his wife, queen Berta. This church later became known in his honor as the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto ("Church of Our Lady of the Chaste King"). The primitive Pantheon of Kings was located in the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

of the church. Rather than the church being entered through the narthex as is customary, the main entrance was through a doorway in the southern arm of the church, with the narthex being dedicated entirely as a place of entombment for Asturian monarchs. Alfonso II por Víctor Hevia 1-ret

The primitive pantheon was a small oblong room wide (the same width as the principal

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of the church), deep, and somewhere between and in height. The ceiling was of wood, and over the pantheon was the upper

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

of the church, which, as in the churches of

San Miguel de Lillo St. Michael of Lillo ( es, San Miguel de Lillo, ast, Samiguel de Lliño) is a Roman Catholic church built on the Naranco mount, near the Church of Santa María del Naranco in Asturias. It was completed in 842 and it was consecrated by Ramiro ...

and San Salvador de Valdediós, was located in the narthex. On either side of the royal pantheon were small closet-like rooms, one of which contained the staircase to the choir upstairs. The other small room may have been for storage of items used during religious services. The pantheon was connected to the main sanctuary of the church through a wide door near the main altar of the church; a small window also connected the pantheon to the sanctuary. Both, according to the chroniclers of the time, were closed with heavy iron bars that nearly prevented any sunlight from entering the pantheon. Fortunato de Selgas
''La primitiva basílica de Santa María del rey Casto de Oviedo y su real panteón''
20 May 1887. Accessed online on cervantesvirtual.com. Humble in appearance, the royal pantheon received the bodies of numerous members of the Asturian-Leonese royal family over the course of several centuries. According to the chroniclers of the period, the tombs were quite close together, to the point where it was not possible to walk between them; for lack of space, some members of the royal family were entombed elsewhere in the church. Not all of the bodies were entombed in the walls or in freestanding tombs; some were buried in the floor, their graves covered by unadorned slabs of stone, in most cases without inscriptions. Near the staircase connecting the church to the upper choir was a tomb that was much venerated in the 16th century, owing to the widespread belief that saints were buried there. Nonetheless, chronicler

Ambrosio de Morales Ambrosio de Morales ( Cordoba, Spain, 1513 – ''ib.'', September, 1591) was a historian. After his studies at the University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education inst ...

believed that by that time the bodies that had been buried there had been removed to another place. The tomb was covered with a marble slab. A worn and nearly illegible Latin inscription read ''"Adepti...Regna Celestia potiti"''. It is impossible to know exactly what the inscription may have originally said, but ''Regna Celestia'' is "the Kingdom of Heaven" and ''adepti'' and ''potiti'' both mean "obtained" or "attained". In the royal pantheon, near the entrance, some above the floor, was a tomb covered by a roughly worked lid without adornment or inscription. Nonetheless, tradition and the preeminent location of the tomb led to general agreement among historians that it was the tomb of Alfonso II, founder of the church and of the royal pantheon. Several other members of the Asturian-Leonese royal family were entombed elsewhere in the primitive Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto, outside the royal pantheon: *

Fruela I of Asturias Fruela I (or Froila I), (c. 722 – 14 January 768) called the Cruel, was the King of Asturias from 757 until his death, when he was assassinated. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I and continued the work of his father. Pelayo was his materna ...

(722-768), king of Asturias. Son of

Alfonso I of Asturias Alfonso I of Asturias, called the Catholic (''el Católico''), (c. 693 – 757) was the third King of Asturias, reigning from 739 to his death in 757. His reign saw an extension of the Christian domain of Asturias, reconquering Galicia and Le ...

"the Catholic" and queen

Ermesinda Ermesinda (c. 720 or c. 730 – ?) alternatively Ormisenda, Ermisenda, Ermesinde, Ermessenda) was queen consort of the Kingdom of Asturias, wife of King Alfonso I of Asturias ("Alfonso the Catholic"). She was the daughter of King Pelagius of Astu ...

. * Queen Munia de Álava, wife of Fruela I and mother of Alfonso II "the Chaste". * Queen Elvira Menéndez (?-921), wife of

Ordoño II of León Ordoño II (c. 873 – June 924, León) was a king of Galicia from 910, and king of Galicia and León from 914 until his death. He was an energetic ruler who submitted the kingdom of Leon to his control and fought successfully against the Mus ...

and mother of

Alfonso IV of León Alfonso IV (s933), called the Monk ( es, el Monje), was King of León from 925 (or 926) and King of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931. When Ordoño II died in 924 it was not one of his sons who ascended to the throne of León but rat ...

and

Ramiro II of León Ramiro II (c. 900 – 1 January 951), son of Ordoño II and Elvira Menendez, was a King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of the kingdom, he gained the crown of León (and with it, Galicia) after s ...

. * Queen Urraca Sánchez (?-956), wife of Ramiro II and mother of

Sancho I of León Sancho I of León, nicknamed Sancho the Fat (c. 932 – 19 December 966) was a king of León twice. He was succeeded in 958 by Ordoño IV and, on his death, by his son Ramiro. Reign He was the son of Ramiro II of León and his second wife ...

. * Queen

Teresa Ansúrez Teresa Ansúrez (died in 997) was the Queen consort of King Sancho I of León, and because of that, she is also known as Teresa of Leon. She was regent of her son in 975-979. Consort Teresa was a daughter of nobleman Ansur Fernández and Gontr ...

(?-997), wife of Sancho I, and mother of

Ramiro III of León Ramiro III (c. 961 – 26 June 985), king of León (966–984), was the son of Sancho the Fat and his successor at the age of only five.Reinhart Dozy, ''Histoire des Musulmans d'espagne'' (1932). Family During his minority, the regency was in the ...

The campaign of Almanzor

At the greatest extent of Muslim power in Iberia, during the military campaign of

Almanzor Abu ʿĀmir Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿĀmir al-Maʿafiri ( ar, أبو عامر محمد بن عبد الله بن أبي عامر المعافري), nicknamed al-Manṣūr ( ar, المنصور, "the Victorious"), which is often Latiniz ...

in the year 986 against the kingdom of León, king

Bermudo II of León Bermudo (or Vermudo) II (c. 953 – September 999), called the Gouty ( es, el Gotoso), was first a rival king in Galicia (982–984) and then king of the entire Kingdom of León (984–999). His reign is summed up by Justo Pérez de Urbel's desc ...

("the Gouty") ordered that royal remains be gathered from León, Astorga and other places to the Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto to prevent their profanation by the Muslim armies. These remains were placed in seven wooden boxes and brought to the city of Oviedo. There not being sufficient space for them in the royal pantheon, they were placed in the church. The seven boxes contained the remains of the following individuals: ''Sepulcros de la Casa Real de Castilla'', p. 162. # King

Alfonso III of Asturias Alfonso III (20 December 910), called the Great ( es, el Magno), was the king of León, Galicia and Asturias from 866 until his death. He was the son and successor of Ordoño I. In later sources he is the earliest to be called "Emperor of Spai ...

("the Great") and his wife

Jimena of Asturias Jimena or Ximena is the female version of the given name Jimeno, derived from the Basque ''Semen''. It has come to be viewed as a form of the name Simone, though their origins are distinct. The French rendering of the name is Chimène. It may re ...

. #

and his wives Elvira Menéndez and Sancha of Pamplona. #

Ordoño III of León Ordoño III (–956) was the King of León from 951 to 956, son and successor of Ramiro II (931–951). He confronted Navarre and Castile, who supported his half-brother Sancho the Fat in disputing Ordoño's claim to the throne. He al ...

and Queen Elvira. #

Fruela II of León Fruela II (Froila II) (c. 875–July 925) was the King of Asturias from the death of his father, Alfonso III of Asturias, in 910 to his own death. When his father died, the kingdom was divided, with the third son, Fruela, taking the original port ...

and his first wife Nunilo Jiménez. # Queen Elvira. # Urraca Sánchez, wife of Ramiro II. # The seventh box contained the remains of various infantes and infantas. After the death of Almanzor, and of his son

Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar ʿAbd al-Malik, originally called Sayf al-Dawla, later al-Muẓaffar. His full Arabic name comprises a '' kunya'' (Abū Marwān), '' ism'' (ʿAbd al-Malik), ''nasab'' (Ibn Abī ʿĀmir), ''nisba'' (al-Maʿāfirī) and '' laḳab'' (al-Muẓaffar). ...

, king

Alfonso V of León Alfonso V (c. 9947 August 1028), called the Noble, was King of León from 999 to 1028. Like other kings of León, he used the title emperor () to assert his standing among the Christian rulers of Spain. He succeeded his father, Bermudo II, in 99 ...

repopulated the city of León, and moved there the greater part of the remains that his father Bermudo II had brought to Oviedo. Nonetheless the remains of kings Alfonso III and Fruela II and queens Jimena, Munia, Elvira Menéndez, Urraca Sánchez and Teresa Ansúrez remained in the royal pantheon in Oviedo.

The new Pantheon of Kings of the Cathedral of Oviedo

History

Toward the end of the 17th century, the pantheon of kings was basically intact but in a poor state of conservation, as was the primitive Church of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto, of which it was part. On May 15, 1696,

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War o ...

issued a royal decree dedicating all

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s derived from Tanes and Brañalonga to the Cathedral of Oviedo with the intent of contributing to the maintenance and restoration of the primitive church. Some years later, in 1705, the council in charge of the cathedral sent a memorial to the king, indicating the continued poor condition of the church and of the royal pantheon; bishop Tomás Reluz sent an accompanying letter recommending the demolition of the primitive church. The proposal was accepted. Reluz was the principal instigator of the early 18th century construction of the new chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto. The new pantheon was located between the pillars of the left nave (known in Spanish as the ''nave del evangelio'', "the nave of the Gospel"), enclosed by an iron grate, with light entering through an oval. This disposition has been interpreted as a loss of importance for the function of the royal pantheon to the church, favoring instead the function of the church as a Marian sanctuary. Nonetheless, the location of the new royal pantheon at the foot of the left nave allowed a wider central nave for the new structure. The contract to construct the new chapel was signed November 10, 1705, by Bishop Reluz and master builder Bernabé de Hazas. Construction costs were estimated at 24,000

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

and the time for construction at three years. On August 2, 1709, the dome of the new Chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto, still under construction at that time, collapsed, causing several deaths. The chapel was completed in 1712, although it was not until 1717 that the picture of the Virgin was moved from the Chapel of Santa Barbara in the Cathedral to the new chapel.

Description

The Royal Pantheon occupies the last section of the northern side of the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rey Casto in the Cathedral of Oviedo. It is the most sumptuous part of the cathedral complex, richly decorated in carvings of plants and heraldic emblems. In six niches, among other funerary urns, are the remains of many members of the Asturian-Leonese royal family. A tablet on the chapel wall gives the names of those entombed there, although it contains some errors. The gratings of the royal pantheon and the church were made by Andrés García Casielles and were put in place in 1713. The grating that closes off access to the Royal Pantheon is adorned with the coat of arms of king

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

; a similar grating, but without the royal seal, adorns the Chapel of the Annunciation of the cathedral. In the center of the Royal Pantheon is a sarcophagus covered by a fifth century marble tombstone. It is the only surviving tomb from the primitive pantheon. Some studies indicate that this sarcophagus was used to transport the remains of the Asturian king Alfonso III ("the Great") and his wife Queen Jimena from the city of Astorga to Oviedo. The sepulchral urn is of ordinary unadorned stone. The overlying cover is marble, coffin-shaped, wider at the head than the feet, and entirely covered in reliefs. A sculpted epitaph in somewhat obscure Latin appears to state that it contains the body of one ''Ithacius''

''INCLVSI TENERVM PRAETIOSO MARMORE CORPVS AETERNAM IN SEDE NOMINIS ITHACII''

At least one possible reading of this is: "I have enclosed a tender body with precious marble in the eternal resting place of the family of Ithacius," but there are various other possibilities (including "…of the fame of Ithacius" and "…by the name of Ithacius"). This tomb was reused in the Royal Pantheon, although the specific identity of the body currently located within it is unclear.

Kings and queens entombed in the Royal Pantheon

The following members of the Asturian-Leonese royal family are entombed in the baroque urns of the Pantheon, according to various historians: *

(722-768), king of Asturias. Son of

("the Catholic") and queen

. *

Bermudo I of Asturias Bermudo I (also Vermudo or Veremund), called the Deacon or the Monk (c. 750 – 797), was the King of Asturias from 788 or 789 until his abdication in 791. He was a son of Fruela of Cantabria, a nephew of Alfonso I, and a brother of Aurelius. Th ...

("the Deacon" ?-797), king of Asturias. Son of Fruela of Cantabria, nephew of Alfonso I of Asturias, and successor to

Mauregato of Asturias Mauregatus the Usurper () was the king of Asturias from 783 to 788 or 789. He was an illegitimate son of Alfonso I of Asturias, Alfonso I, supposedly by a Moors, Moorish serf. He usurped the throne on the death of Silo of Asturias, Silo, the hu ...

. *

("the Chaste", 759-842), king of Asturias. Son of Fruela I and grandson of Alfonso I. *

Ramiro I of Asturias Ramiro I (c. 790 – 1 February 850) was king of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias (modern-day Spain) from 842 until his death in 850. Son of King Bermudo I of Asturias, Bermudo I, he became king following a succession struggle after his predecessor, ...

(790-850), king of Asturias. Nephew and successor of Alfonso II and son of Bermudo I. * Ordoño I of Asturias (830-866), king of Asturias. Son and successor of Ramiro I. *

("the Great", 848-910), king of Asturias. Son of Ordoño I and queen

Nuña ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, ...

. *

García I of León García I (c. 871 – 19 January 914) was the King of León from 910 until his death and eldest of three succeeding sons of Alfonso III the Great by his wife Jimena. García took part in the government alongside his father until 909. In that ye ...

(871-914), king of León. Son of Alfonso III of Asturias and queen

. *

(c.875-925), king of León. Son of Alfonso III of Asturias and brother of García I of León]. * Queen Munia de Álava, wife of Fruela I and mother of Alfonso II. * Queen Berta, wife of Alfonso II. * Queen

, wif of Ordoño I and mother of Alfonso III. * Queen

(?-912), daughter of García Íñiguez de Pamplona, wife of Alfonso III, and mother of García I, Ordoño II and Fruela II. * Queen Elvira Menéndez (?-921), wife of Ordoño II and mother of

and

. * Queen Nunilo Jimena, wife of Fruela II. * Queen

Urraca of Pamplona Urraca (also spelled ''Hurraca'', ''Urracha'' and ''Hurracka'' in medieval Latin) is a female first name. In Spanish, the name means magpie, derived perhaps from Latin ''furax'', meaning "thievish", in reference to the magpie's tendency to collect ...

(?-956), wife of King

and mother of King

. * Queen

(?-997), wife of King

and mother of King

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

* Fortunato de Selgas
La primitiva basílica de Santa María del rey Casto de Oviedo y su real panteón
(1887) on Cervantes Virtual. {{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Oviedo Asturian monarchs