Covadonga ( Asturian: ''Cuadonga'', from ''cova domnica'' "Cave of Our Lady"Juan Gil Fernández, José L. Moralejo, Juan Ignacio Ruiz de la Peña, ''Crónicas asturianas'', Universidad de Oviedo, 1985, p. 203.) is one of 11

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Cangas de Onís Cangas de Onís ( Asturian: ''Cangues d'Onís'' "valleys of Onís"'' Canga'' (plural ''cangues'') is an Asturian word for "valley, canyon".) is a municipality in the eastern part of the province and autonomous community of Asturias in the nor ...

, a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

within the province and

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

, in Northwestern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is situated in the

Picos de Europa The Picos de Europa ("Peaks of Europe", also the Picos) are a mountain range extending for about , forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. The range is situated in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castil ...

mountains. With a permanent population of 58 (2008), it consists essentially of the "Real Sitio de Covadonga"/"Real Sitiu de Cuadonga" also known as the "cradle of Spain", a pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Covadonga/Cuadonga and commemorating the

Battle of Covadonga The Battle of Covadonga took place in 718 or 722 between the army of Pelagius the Visigoth and the army of the Umayyad Caliphate. Fought near Covadonga in the Picos de Europa, either in 718 or 722, it resulted in a victory for the forces of Pelag ...

of 718/722.

History

The

of c. 722 was the first Christian victory in the Iberian Peninsula over the Arabs invading from north Africa under the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

banner, and is often considered to be the start of the almost eight centuries-long effort to expel Muslim rulers governing

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

during the ''

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

''.

Our Lady of Covadonga Our Lady of Covadonga also named "La ''Santina''" is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the name of a Marian shrine devoted to her at Covadonga, Asturias. The shrine in northwestern Spain rose to prominence following the Battle of Covadonga in ...

is a significant

Marian shrine A shrine to the Virgin Mary (or Marian shrine) is a shrine marking an Marian apparitions, apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Blessed Virgin Mary, Marian devotion ...

. The

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

has, over the years, named several of its units "Covadonga". In the mountains above the town are located the two

lakes of Covadonga The Lakes of Covadonga (el. 1134 m.) are composed of two glacial lakes located on the region of Asturias, Spain. These lakes, often also called Lakes of Enol or simply Los Lagos, are Lake Enol and Lake Ercina located in the Picos de ...

, Enol and Ercina, and the road leading to the lakes is often featured in the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

bicycle race.

Sanctuary

The

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

of Covadonga is a monument dedicated to

that commemorates the

. It comprises the *''

Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga is a Catholic church located in Covadonga/Cuadonga, Cangas de Onís/Cangues d'Onís, Asturias, Spain, that was designated as basilica on September 11, 1901. The temple was designed by the German ...

'' ("Basilica of Saint Mary the Royal of Covadonga"), a church built in the 19th century to a design by Roberto Frassinelli, *''

Santa Cueva de Covadonga The Santa Cueva de Nuestra Señora de Covadonga (English: the Holy Cave of Our Lady of Covadonga) is a Catholicism, Catholic Shrine, sanctuary located in Asturias, northern Spain. It is a cave in the Picos de Europa mountains, which gives its na ...

'' ("Holy Cave of Covadonga"), in which the bodies of Kings

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral s ...

and Alfonso I lie, *

Collegiate church of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga The Royal Collegiate church of San Fernando (Spanish: ''Real Colegiata de San Fernando'') is a collegiate church located in the parish of Covadonga, Cangas de Onís, Asturias, Spain. It was declared ''Bien de Interés Cultural'' in 1884. It is t ...

, built in the 16th century and declared a ''

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...

'' ("Property of Cultural Interest") in 1884, *''Monasterio de San Pedro'' ("Monastery of Saint Peter"), and *Esplanade, with the Museum of the ''Real Sitio de Covadonga'' ("Royal Site of Covadonga").

Gallery

File:CovadongaCathedral2.jpg, Basilica of Santa María la Real of Covadonga File:Cueva de Santa María - Covadonga.JPG, Cueva de Santa María File:Santa Cueva de Covadonga.jpg, Hermitage File:Casa Capitular (Covadonga).jpg, Chapter House File:Vigendecovadnonga2.JPG File:ErcinaLakeHorse.jpg, A horse eats grass beside

Lake Ercina Lake Ercina is a small highland lake in Asturias, Spain. It is located in the Picos de Europa, in the Cantabrian Mountains. Situated next to Lake Enol, together, they forms the group known as Lakes of Covadonga within the Picos de Europa National ...

References

External links

CovadongaReal sitio de Covadonga
Parishes in Cangas de Onis Reconquista Picos de Europa {{asturias-geo-stub

History

Sanctuary

Gallery

See also

References

External links