Originally constructed in the 9th century by Alfonso the Chaste, the Iglesia de San Tirso is the oldest church in the city center. Due to the great fire of 1521 and numerous reconstructions, though, not much of the original remains apart from a supporting wall and the church’s general layout.
San Tirso is found adjacent to the city cathedral, an unassuming lumpy little building which is completely overshadowed by its magnificent neighbor; the Igor to the cathedral’s Dr. Frankenstein. But the very age of the church makes it worth visiting. The interior is small, with a modest altarpiece and just a couple chapels. Within the church rest the remains of Balesquita Giraldez, a 13th century noblewoman famous for her charitable donations, and for whom the nearby Capilla de la Balesquida is named.
San Tirso, or Saint Thyrsus in English, was a 3rd century Christian who was martyred in Turkey. By being mostly sawed in half! Miraculously, the saw became too heavy for his executioners to hold, so they had to leave the task before it was completed. Nasty. But I suppose for a thing like “murdering someone with a saw”, halfway is probably good enough. Hey God: for my “miracle”, how about you increase the weight of the saw before they begin carving?
More San Tiros photos below!!
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After sitting down at the popular Mesón Casa Pedro on Calle Asturias, we did like everyone else and ordered the cachopo. A delicious breaded, fried “sandwich” of ham and cheese, cachopo is similar to Cordon Bleu. Just a lot bigger.
We had been told that a single cachopo was plenty for two people to share, but still: I hadn’t been expecting a portion of food roughly the size of a healthy eight-month-old baby. When our waitress lowered the plate down onto our table, a task which would have been easier using a crane, I nearly spit out my wine. I nearly asked her if she was insane.
Cachopo is a really popular dish here in Asturias. How popular? Well, there’s a website dedicated to it. In Oviedo, Casa Pedro is one of the best restaurants to try it out. Just make sure to fast for two days beforehand, and bring a friend or three.
From our Oviedo Travel Blog: San Tirso / Cachopo
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