We have to place the church of Santa María de Lugás -or Llugás, as it is better known, according to its original nomenclature in the Bable language-, just seven or eight kilometers away from Amandi and the bustling urban center of Villaviciosa.

Nestled in the highest part of the mountain, in a place from which there is a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding villages, such as La Pedrera, it is hard to believe, however, and according to fame, that it is considered the Second Marian Sanctuary of Asturias. , behind Covadonga and in front of others, so old, traditional and, why not say it, famous, such as the Virgin of Alba and the Virgen del Acebo.

As is often the case, when speaking of Romanesque buildings in Asturias, the church of Lugás, although it was enlarged and almost completely reformed in the seventeenth century -to a large extent, due to a surprising emergence arising from the pilgrimages, although it is not proper in Camino de Santiago-, it owes part of its primitive factory, at the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century, when it was built on a pre-Romanesque construction, a detail that should not surprise us, if we consider the great proliferation that exists in Asturias of temples with such characteristics (1).

And as in many cases, although there are no obvious vestiges that can validate it, it is suspected that it was raised, likewise, on an old fort (2). History, then, is repeated, and as Heinrich Schliemann demonstrated with Troy, it is superimposed on layers of different period and dimension, always attending to the requirements of the victors over the vanquished.

The Romanesque virgin image of the thirteenth century, was saved from the flames during the Civil War, by a countrywoman -Elvira Canellada-, and possibly, given the singular influence of attraction that exerts the place, responds to the basic archetype of the Black Virgin, including the claim located in the rectory house that, although modern, does not stop being genuinely interesting - Pilgrim, welcome to the house of your Mother -, including the fact, I repeat, that the ancestral devotion of the people for this place and the deviation of the pilgrims, so it seems to indicate.

Be that as it may, what is certain is that, similar to how it was seen in the temple of San Juan de Amandi, of the probable Norman origin of the stonemasons that intervened in the initial phase of construction, the south portal is fully realized , where we meet again the detail of the peculiar curled birds in its main archivolt, as well as the aesthetic complement of the rollers. Also the cover located to the west, offers some curious singularities.

All the representations, except one, are of vegetal nature and in their execution, they denote a really meritorious skill and mastery. On the other hand, the capital that shows a human being among lions - apparently, Daniel - denotes a much coarser execution, as if it had been done by different hands or, it is just a suggestion, the stonemason had an origin Mudejar and followed the Islamic tradition concerning images.

Something varies the motives of the corbels of this cover, where, in addition to some plant motifs, you can see a feline and a monstrous head, a jagged geometric motif, as well as another that, due to its characteristics, simulates the shape of a tremendously symbolic tree , the palm tree, reason that can be located also in some other cover of the council, as it would be, for example, the church of Santa Eulalia de Selorio, on the other side of the estuary and very close to an authentic pre-Romanesque wonder, such as the Church of San Salvador de Priesca.

Notes, References and Bibliography:
(1) An unbeatable example of this, would be the case of the church of San Pedro, in Arrojo, where the primitive foundations have been unmistakably laid bare, safeguarded by a parquet with glass, where these pre-Romanesque origins and bones can be seen. human beings of people who were buried there at an indeterminate time, next to the head.
(2) One of the most relevant examples would be the church of San Vicente de Serrapio, in the council of Aller, built on the foundations of a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter, which, in turn, was built on a temple of Celtic origin .

NOTICE: Originally published in my blog ROMÁNICA, ENIGMAS DEL ROMÁNICO ESPAÑOL. Both the text and the photographs that accompany it 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/2013/10/un-santuario-astur-santa-maria-de-lugas. html