Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Villarpedre
Villarpedre, also known as Vilarpedre, is a parish of the Asturian council of Grandas de Salime, on the banks of the Oro River, known as the Oro River Valley.
Unlike the other six parishes that make up the municipality, Villarpedre comprises only the village of Villarpedre, located approximately 10 km from the council's capital.
The origins of this town date back to the Neolithic period, as evidenced by several tombs and megalithic structures scattered across the municipality. The arrival of the Roman Empire into Asturias during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD transformed these lands into a pivotal mining area, with abundant gold deposits. However, even before Roman troops settled, several tribes of Asturian lineage were engaged in the extraction and exploitation of metals.
During the Middle Ages, this area belonged to the bishopric of Oviedo until the 12th century when the inhabitants of A Mesa, Vilarpedre, and Salime seized the opportunity presented by a Papal bull, securing legal-administrative autonomy and birthing the council of Salime. The parish of Grandas de Salime joined the council in 1836.
Among the architectural treasures, the Parish Church of Santa María de Villarpedre takes center stage. Located on the outskirts of the village, the church has a single nave, a gabled roof, and a rectangular floor plan. Adorned with a porticoed space featuring three slopes, the entrance is crowned by a belfry with three openings. Inside, there are 18th-century wooden carvings and an altar.
Villarpedre preserves a couple of hórreos, raised structures that were traditionally used for food storage, along with a dovecote.