# San Julián de los Prados (Santullano)

What to do en Oviedo · Oviedo

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/san-julian-de-los-prados-santullano · Revisado: 2026-11-13

- Desde: 4 € per person
- Duración: 40 min
- Temporada: All year
- Para quién: Adults and teenagers

Visit · The largest pre-Romanesque church in Spain, 9th century, with wall paintings · €4 · Free on the first Monday of the month in the morning

Built between 812 and 842 under Alfonso II the Chaste, at the start of Santullano park, beside the road out towards Gijón. It is the largest pre-Romanesque church in Asturias and one of the oldest, and inside it keeps 9th-century wall paintings with painted architecture. You can walk there from the centre in about 20 minutes via El Milán.
What you will see
Turismo Asturias describes it as one of the most remarkable medieval works in Europe. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1998 and is dedicated to the saints Julian and Basilissa. It has a basilica plan, with a wide, bright nave, rare in a medieval building, and a transept higher than the nave, where the royal gallery stood. A window of more than four metres lets the light in. The Corinthian capitals of the main chapel are probably Visigothic in origin.
The most striking thing is the paintings. They cover walls and vaults in blue, yellow and red, and have no human or divine figures: they are geometric friezes, plant motifs, palaces and hangings that allude to the heavenly Jerusalem of the Apocalypse. At the top appears the cross of the Anastasis, a symbol of royal power. They were painted in fresco, marking lines with cords soaked in pigment and circles with a compass. Turismo de Oviedo considers it the largest surviving wall decoration of the early Middle Ages in Europe.
Opening hours and admission
The visit is guided, in sessions. According to Turismo Asturias:

1 October to 30 April: Monday to Saturday, sessions at 10:00, 10:45 and 11:30.
1 May to 30 June: Monday, at 10:00, 10:45 and 11:30; Tuesday to Saturday, also at 12:15, 16:00 and 16:45.
1 July to 30 September: Monday, four sessions between 10:00 and 12:15; Tuesday to Friday, eight sessions between 9:30 and 17:30; Saturdays, seven.
Closed Sundays and public holidays, and on 8 and 21 September.

Admission costs €4 per adult and €1 for ages 7 to 12; groups, by prior appointment, €3 per person. The first Monday of each month is free in the morning, without a guide. Bookings are made by email at visitasantullano1@gmail.com; Turismo Asturias gives the phone number 687 052 826 and Turismo de Oviedo, 607 353 999. Times change by season: confirm them before you go.
Getting there
It is at calle Selgas, 2, beside the El Milán campus. From the centre you walk there in about 20 minutes; Turismo de Oviedo suggests a walking route that starts from the Foncalada fountain. The motorway passes very close by, and works funded by the EU are under way to reduce its impact. The visit lasts about 40 minutes.
Complete the day with the rest of the pre-Romanesque: Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, on the hill, and the Cámara Santa of the cathedral.

## Cómo llegar y contacto

- Coordenadas: 43.3678, -5.8371

## Cerca de aquí

- [Archaeological Museum of Asturias, in the San Vicente monastery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/archaeological-museum-asturias), a 671 m
- [Cathedral of San Salvador, Cámara Santa and Tower](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/oviedo-cathedral), a 768 m
- [Guided Tour of Old Oviedo with an Official Guide](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/oviedo-guided-tour-official-guide), a 796 m
- [El Ferroviario Cider House](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/where-to-eat/el-ferroviario-cider-house), a 820 m
- [Fine Arts Museum of Asturias](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/fine-arts-museum-of-asturias), a 824 m
- [Exe Hotel El Magistral](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/where-to-stay/exe-hotel-el-magistral), a 903 m
- [Casa Ramón](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/where-to-eat/casa-ramon), a 1.0 km
- [Old Town, Plaza del Fontán and Calle Gascona](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/things-to-do/oviedo-old-town-and-el-fontan), a 1.0 km

## Consejos

### Arrive for the first session of the morning
In winter there are only three, all before midday.

### First Monday, free
Free entry in the morning, but without a guide.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does it cost to enter San Julián de los Prados?
€4 for adults and €1 for children aged 7 to 12. Free on the first Monday of each month in the morning, without a guide.

### Is it open on Sundays?
No. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Destino: [Oviedo](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo.md)
