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ROMANESQUE ART EN LEÓN
Corullón: art in the heart of El Bierzo
Nestled among the mountains, Corullón pre-
serves two gems of rural Romanesque art in
El Bierzo: San Esteban and San Miguel, both
declared Sites of Cultural Interest (Bien de In-
terés Cultural). San Esteban dazzles with its
western portal, linked to the Compostela wor-
kshops, and its rare porch-tower. Its carved ca-
necillos depict scenes of everyday life and the
seven deadly sins, addressing both the faithful
and pilgrims.
Very nearby, San Miguel surprises with a
façade inspired by San Isidoro de León, sculp-
ted heads, and a portal adorned with taqueado
jaqués. Its former Calvary, one of the oldest
Romanesque wooden sculptures in the region,
is now held in the León Museum.
High-altitude Ro-
manesque, legend
and architecture
come together in
Santa María de Ar-
bas, the final great
jewel on the Camino
de San Salvador. A
unique church that
blends the pilgrim’s
spirituality with the
frontier art between
León and Asturias
Church of Corullón
Santa María de Arbas:
Romanesque among
the mountains
Along the Camino de San Salvador, which links León with Oviedo,
stands the Collegiate Church of Santa María de Arbas, a gem of hi-
gh-mountain Romanesque. Rebuilt in 1216 by order of Alfonso IX, its
basilica layout with three naves and three apses is unusual within the
province. The western portal stands out for its carved modillones, fea-
turing ox and bear heads—figures central to a medieval legend that
blends devotion, animals, and miraculous construction.
The last great expression of Leonese Romanesque, Arbas bridges the
mountain art of Asturias with the heart of the old Kingdom of León
Church of Santa María de Arbas
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