San Miguel de Escalada
Leon, Spain
In the late ninth to early tenth century, following a period of Moorish sovereignty, the Asturian King, Alfonso III conquered the region of Leon. It is during this moment of Christian resurgence that the Mozarabic church at San Miguel de Escalada was commissioned. It was constructed in the year 913 under the rule of Alfonso's son, Garcia. This brick and masonry church features a basilica plan with its central nave partitioned from the two side aisles and the apse by colonnades of horseshoe arches supported by Asturian Corinthian capitals and possibly Roman or Visigothic columns already in situ. The inside is illuminated by fenestration positioned over the arcades in the nave area. The aisles are left windowless. This contrast creates a powerful chiaroscuro effect under the interior's wooden roof. A twelve-arched portico at its eastern façade and dating to 930 encloses the main entrance to the church.

Sources:

Fernandez Arenas, Jose. 1972. Mozarabic Architecture. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society Ltd. 67-78.

Dodds, Jerrilynn D. 1990. Architecture and Ideology in Early Medieval Spain. University Park and London: Pennsylvania State University Press, 51-52.

"San Miguel." Greatbuildings.com. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/San_Miguel.html. [Accessed February 14, 2007]
Location
Leon, Spain
Images & Videos
Events
913
Style Periods
500-1500
Building Usages
religious