San Antolín de Bedón, Asturias: a private monastery

'Look at the river made of time and water
and remember that time is another river,
know that we get lost like the river
and that the faces pass like water.
Feeling that vigil is another dream
who dreams not to dream and that death
who fears our flesh is that death
of each night, which is called a dream ... '(1)

Its location, in a meadow near the coast, surrounded by forest and mountain, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Bedón River, make the place a small haven of peace, which is altered, unfortunately now, by the nearby viaduct of the highway that connects Oviedo with Santander. A motorway that, paradoxically, is cut, as it is, about ten kilometers further on, in the picturesque and seaside town of Llanes, to become, again, a primitive national road with two lanes, one way and the other back.

Like the great majority of monasteries, the origins of San Antolín de Bedón are wrapped in that sweet amniotic fluid that, comparatively speaking, are the legends. Of these, there are mainly two that remain in force over the centuries, although perhaps, by the degree of implicit romanticism, is more popular that places its origins in the crime committed by the Count Muñazán, son of Rodrigo Alvarez de las Asturias who, pretending to force a maid, ended up murdering this one and the lover in whose arms he had taken refuge after getting away from the voluptuous count.

Another legend, no less significant than the previous one, especially if we stick to that dark yet fascinating universe that symbols are-let's not forget-that among other representations, Magna Mater sometimes takes precisely the form, not only of bear / o to manifest among mortal beings, but also that of wild boar, and note that there are many authors who see in this animal the emblem of legendary kingdoms, such as Agharta- places the same protagonist, this Count Muñazán, chasing a boar that, pretending to flee from the terrible harassment to which it is subjected by the count, takes refuge in a nearby cave.

The count, driven by that feverish desire, common to every hunter, penetrates the cave, reluctant to let escape a piece that he already takes for granted, finding instead an image of San Antolin lit by a mysterious light. Both in one legend and another, repentance and awareness of a licentious life, make the count decide to redeem himself, founding a monastery in which he would enter as a monk, dedicating himself to God the rest of his days. The monastery, obviously, is none other than this small and mistreated marvel, which make up the foundations of San Antolín de Bedón.

Leaving aside, at least momentarily, the legendary theme, however never forgetting that every legend, fantastic as it seems, generally hides a great historical truth, there is more than enough evidence to place the origins of this monastery, at least in the eleventh century. That, at least, support two inscriptions, in which the years 1175 and 1176 appear, respectively, obviating a third inscription, which disappeared on an indeterminate date.

San Antolín, at present, is in private hands, so that its access to the interior is extremely limited. Of the old Benedictine monastery (2), hardly survives the enclosure of the church itself. Attached to it, there are some The temple consists of a main apse, and two small absidiolos, as well as two covers, located the main one in the south zone, and the other one, below the bulrush, in the west zone. This one, seems to have been remade in modern times, taking as base or model the original cover located, as I said, in the south zone, and it shows the only exterior decoration that can be observed, based on its series of corbels.

Not because of its small number, the corbels show, of course, motifs with an interesting added symbolism: the madonna with the child, the goose, the hunter with the horn, the utensils and the dogs - who knows if referring to that version of the legend mentioned at the beginning - the Celtic motive of the eternal knot, and even, in my opinion, a reason perhaps not too frequent in Asturian Romanesque, such as the musician and the dancer or contortionist who, although more rudimentary, evidently remembers the great motives of the so-called Master of Serpents or Master of Agüero, who put his personal stamp on the monastery of San Juan de la Peña, as well as in renowned temples of Huesca and the Five Aragonese Villas.

In short, a place now abandoned by the hand of God but certainly interesting, located right on the path of the Asturian coast, which in times owed one of the most important monasteries located in the kingdom of Asturias and maintain a prosperous monastic community , among whose functions there was, also, no doubt, that of offering refuge and hospitality to the pilgrim who chose this route option, on his journey to the tomb of the Apostle.

Notes and bibliography:

(1) Jorge Luis Borges: 'Poetic Anthology', Alianza Editorial, S.A., 2nd edition, 1983, page 42.
(2) Some authors observe, however, a certain Cistercian influence, as far as the austerity of their ornamentation is concerned.buildings of a purely rural nature, characterized mainly by the state of abandonment and ruin, but suggesting the existence, in times, of a community of monks, self-sufficient, or tenants protected by these.

Related movie:

NOTICE: originally published in my blog ROMÁNICA, ENIGMAS DEL ROMÁNICO ESPAÑOL. Both the text, as the photographs, and the video (except music, reproduced under a YouTube license), are my exclusive intellectual property. The original entry, where you can check the authorship of juancar347, can be found at the following address: https://juancar347-romanica.blogspot.com/2012/06/un-monasterio-privado-san-antolin-de.html

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