The details of the history of this Benedictine monastery are not well known due to the loss of its documentation. Nevertheless, it is likely that it was founded by Alonso Suárez and his wife Cristilde at the end of the 11th century. It is not until the following century that written documentation begins to appear. In 1112, the first known abbot, Pedro Suárez, is mentioned, and it is very possible that he participated in the founding process.
In the following years, the monastery accumulated a significant patrimony through donations and acquisitions, which continued to grow throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. By the 15th century, the monastery had fallen into a certain state of decline, which was not reversed until 1531, when it became part of the Congregation of San Benito of Valladolid. In this context, in 1544, the nearby monastery of San Antolín de Bedón was annexed to it as a priory. During the 17th century, the church and other monastic buildings were rebuilt, and in 1633, a college of philosophy was established there, giving it some renown. In 1679, the reconstruction of the church began due to its poor state of conservation.
The monastery's demise occurred during the 19th century, first with its occupation during the Peninsular War, and definitively in 1835, when it was secularized. Its library was transferred to the University of Oviedo, where it was burned in 1934. After passing into private hands, it was acquired by the Jesuits in 1919, who still maintain ownership. Despite later destructions and reforms, some medieval elements of the former monastic establishment remain, including a notable square-plan bell tower and the church's portal, with a slightly pointed zigzag arch.
Photo by Malopez 21, on Wikimedia
Photo by the Conde de Polentinos (n.d.)
Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte
Photo by the Conde de Polentinos (n.d.)
Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte
Photo by the Conde de Polentinos (n.d.)
Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte
- ARGAIZ, Gregorio de (1677). La Perla de Cataluña. Historia de Nuetra Señora de Monserrate. Madrid: García de la Iglesia
- GARCÍA ÁLVAREZ-BUSTO, Alejandro; ed. (2020). Asturias monástica. Catálogo de monasterios y revisión histórica arqueológica (siglos XI-XIX). Vol. 1. Anejos de Nailos n.º 7. Ovedo: KRK Ed.
- GARCÍA GUINEA, Miguel Ángel; dir. (2006). Enciclopedia del Románico en Asturias. Aguilar de Campoo. Fundación Santa María la Real
- MARTÍNEZ VEGA, Andrés (2011). Monasterios medievales de Asturias. Oviedo: Cajastur, 2011
- MENÉNDEZ. José F. (1922). El antiguo monasterio de San Salvador de Celorio en el Principado de Asturias. Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Excursiones, vol. 30, núm. 4
- ZARAGOZA, Ernesto (2005). Abadologio del monasterio de San Salvador de Celorio (siglos XI - XIX). Boletín de Letras del Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos, vol. 59
The monastery is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea, west of Llanes, the municipality to which it belongs