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 in
Cangas de Onís, 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 ...
of
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 community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
, 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 Pel ...
of 718/722.
History
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 Pel ...
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 apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinatio ...
. The
Spanish Army 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 d ...
, 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 ...
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 sa ...
of Covadonga is a monument dedicated to
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 ...
that commemorates 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 Pel ...
. 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'' ("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 ...
and
Alfonso I lie,
*
Collegiate church of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, 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 incl ...
'' ("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
See also
*
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 Pel ...
*
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 d ...
*
Count of Covadonga
*
Countess of Covadonga
*
Spanish schooner ''Virgen de Covadonga''
References
External links
CovadongaReal sitio de Covadonga
Parishes in Cangas de Onis
Reconquista
Picos de Europa
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