San Martín Church and the Yew
Chapter 7/9 · Salas
This is the church of San Martín, the parish church of Salas until 1896. It is very old: it already appears in a donation made in the year 896 by Gonzalo, son of King Alfonso III, and an inscribed stone recalls rebuilding work that began in 951. At the end of the 15th century it was almost completely rebuilt, and its bell gable with three openings is Baroque.
Its walls still keep pre-Romanesque pieces from the 10th century, such as stone lattice windows and inscribed slabs, examples of the final stage of Asturian pre-Romanesque art; because of them it was declared a National Monument on 3 June 1931. Inside there is a Rococo altarpiece dedicated to Saint Martin.
In front of it, inside the cemetery, grows the great yew of Salas, declared a Natural Monument in 1995. It is a female tree about 15 or 16 metres tall, one of the tallest yews in Asturias. The yew has been revered since ancient times, and in Asturias it is very often found beside churches and chapels. It is protected: please do not touch or damage its bark.
We go back down to the town along Calle de la Ballostra and Calle de la Pola.
Start · Salas