Ramiro I of Asturias ordered the building, and the article names no architect. The body gives its completion as 842, and the infobox gives consecration in 848, with an altar inscription dated June 23, 848. The inscription says Ramiro renewed an old building, while other passages describe it as new. A royal palace at first, it became a church of St. Mary in the 12th century.
The plan is rectangular on two floors, 66 feet (20 m) long and 33 feet (10 m) wide according to the infobox. The lower floor is a crypt with a central chamber, and the upper floor has a central hall with a mirador at each end. A barrel vault of tufa stone rests on six transverse arches on consoles, which the article calls a clear precursor of Romanesque construction.
A double exterior staircase rises on the facade. The columns have spiral rope moulding, and 32 medallions show animals, birds, grapes and fantastic creatures.
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