The Monastery of San Antolín de Bedón was built at the mouth of the River Bedón, near the coast and the sea.
Its year of construction is unknown, being first mentioned in the 12th century. The only evidence that remains is the church, which corresponds to the late Romanesque, in transition towards the Gothic, the style suggested by the use of the pointed arch. The ground plan is that of a basilica, with three naves at different heights, separated by pointed arches resting on simple pillars, except for those in the transept and the apse, which are more ornate. It ends in a chevet with three semi-circular cul-de-four apses, which jut out of the east end. The system of ceilings is hierarchically conceived: the naves are covered with a wooden framework, while groin and pointed barrel vaulting is used in the transept.
The outside of the church is characterized by the use of ashlar and buttresses, where a marked escalation in volumes can be appreciated, as the roofs of the naves are at different heights, the central nave standing out above the other two. Horizontal mouldings and windows serve to break the exterior monotony of the semi-circular walls of the apse. Despite the decorative sobriety of the church, sculptural decoration survives due to its didactic character, occupying outdoor areas, such as the corbels of the eaves protecting the portals. The church has two portals; the west-facing portal has five pointed archivolts, with a cornice adorned with beautiful anthropomorphic (hunters), animalistic (fowl) and plants corbels. The south-facing portal presents a very similar structure and ornamentation. One of them was used to connect the church with the monastery. The ensemble conveys the image of austerity of the Cistercian Order, based on the lack of ornamentation and a scarcity of decorative aesthetics.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.