La Foncalada

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La Foncalada

La Foncalada is a pre-Romanesque well house in the Spanish city ​​of Oviedo , capital of the autonomous region of Asturias . In 1998 it was added to the list of UNESCO cultural monuments together with the Cámara Santa of the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo and the Church of San Julián de los Prados and since then it has been the only secular building among the Monumentos de Oviedo y del Reino de Asturias ( Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias) such as Santa María del Naranco , San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Cristina de Lena .

history

The building was erected about 400 meters from the cathedral, next to a Roman road , and served as a public water supply. The exact date of creation is not known. Inscriptions in the stone slabs, which are only preserved as fragments, assign it to the reign of Alfonso III. (866-910) to. It was mentioned in writing for the first time in 1096 as fons incalata (source with invocation ). It was used as a wash house until the beginning of the 20th century . When excavations were carried out between 1991 and 1994, a 14-meter-long and 8-meter-wide basin was discovered that was connected to the east and led into steps.

architecture

Inscriptions

The building is a shrine of regularly hewn sandstone quadern with gable roof . It has a rectangular floor plan of 4 meters by 3 meters and is 4 meters high. The foundation consists of two limestone blocks . On the east side there is a open arch with keystone and 18 voussoirs , to which inside a barrel vault followed. A Latin cross is carved on the gable , the Asturian Cross of Victory , with the Greek letters Alpha and Omega on its arms . Below are the fragments of a Latin inscription, which is supplemented and translated as follows: “The pious is protected under this symbol. Under this sign the enemy will be defeated ”. This formula appears for the first time on the angel's cross , which dates from the reign of Alfonso II the Chaste (783 and 791–842). The inscription on the stones below reads: "Lord, put the mark of salvation in this spring and do not allow the evil angel to enter". It can also be found in other buildings from the time of Alfons III.

literature

  • Achim Arbeiter , Sabine Noack-Haley: Christian monuments of the early Middle Ages from the 8th to the 11th century . Mainz 1999, ISBN 3-8053-2312-3 , pp. 190-192.
  • Lorenzo Arias Páramo: Guía del Arte Prerrománico Asturiano . Gijón 2nd edition 1999, ISBN 84-95178-20-6 , pp. 91-92.
  • Jaime Cobreros: Guía del Prerrománico en España . Madrid 2006, ISBN 84-9776-215-0 , pp. 96-97.
  • Jacques Fontaine: L'Art Préroman Hispanique . Volume 1, 2nd edition, La Pierre-qui-Vire (Zodiaque) 1973.

Web links

Commons : La Foncalada  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Coordinates: 43 ° 21 '55.1 "  N , 5 ° 50' 45.8"  W.