Santa María de Bendones is a church in Oviedo, Asturias. Santa María de Bendones is situated nearby to Iglesia San Esteban de las Cruces and Centro social de San Esteban / San Isteba. Declared National Monument in 1958. It is thought to be contemporary by San Julián de los Prados because between them there is similarity in their formal character.It has a rectangular floor plan.Inside the remains of mural paintings are preserved. Destroyed in 1936, its ruins were identified in 1954 by Joaquín Manzanares, subsequently undergoing a controversial reconstruction in 1958. The structure is similar to the church of San Julián de los Prados, although the ground plan is not the typical basilica of the Pre-Romanesque churches, but has three enclosures at the western end, the central one as an entrance vestibule and two side areas possibly to house parishioners or ecclesiastics. This entrance leads into a single nave with a wooden ceiling, the same length as the entrance enclosures. The nave adjoins two rectangular side areas, also with a wooden ceiling, whose use seems to associated with the liturgical rites of the period. this nave joined with the sanctuary by three semicircular brick arches, each of which leads into its corresponding chapel, of which only the main or central one is covered with a brick barrel vault, the other two with wooden ceilings.
Above the main chapel is the "typical" chamber, only accessible from outside, through a trefoil window with the standard Pre-Romanesque features; central arch larger than the side ones, resting on two free-standing capitals with rope moulding, and the upper rectangle framed by simple moulding.
In front of the church, in its southwest corner, there is a rebuilt bell tower.It is free-standing and has a rectangular floor plan.
