Covadonga ( Asturian: ''Cuadonga'', from ''cova domnica'' "Cave of Our Lady") 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 ...

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 north ...

, a

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

within the province and

autonomous community The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, in Northwestern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is situated in the

Picos de Europa Picos is a municipality in the state of Piauí in the Northeast region of Brazil. Picos is the state's third-largest city, located in the south-central region of Piauí and is the most economically developed city in the region. The city's fin ...

mountains. With a permanent population of 55, the parish became a site of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

and a place of great cultural importance following the 722

Battle of Covadonga The Battle of Covadonga took place in 722 between the army of Pelagius of Asturias and the army of commanders Alqama and Munuza, as part of the Umayyad Caliphate. Fought near Covadonga, in the Picos de Europa, it resulted in a victory for th ...

, which marked the beginning of the Spanish ''Reconquista'' of the Iberian Peninusla. The battle, which took place near the village in 722, was the first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

victory in the Iberian Peninsula over the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

invading from north Africa under the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

banner, and is often considered to be the beginning of the almost eight century-long effort to expel

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

rulers governing Iberia during the ''Reconquista''. The two

lakes of Covadonga The Lakes of Covadonga (el. 1134 m.) () are two Glacial lake, 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 Pico ...

Enol In organic chemistry, enols are a type of functional group or intermediate in organic chemistry containing a group with the formula (R = many substituents). The term ''enol'' is an abbreviation of ''alkenol'', a portmanteau deriving from "-ene ...

and Ercina, are located in the mountains above the town, and the road leading to the lakes is often featured in the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, 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'Ital ...

bicycle race. The Holy Cave 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 ...

that commemorates the Battle of Covadonga. It comprises the following: *'' Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga'' ("Basilica of Saint Mary the Royal of Covadonga"), a church built in the 19th century based on 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 (Celtic Britons, Brittonic) theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius was accus ...

and Alfonso I lie; * Collegiate church of Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, built in the 16th century and declared a ''

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

'' ("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:Virgen de Covadonga2.jpg, Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga File:ErcinaLakeHorse.jpg, A horse eats grass beside Lake Ercina

References

External links

CovadongaReal sitio de Covadonga
{{Authority control Parishes in Cangas de Onis Reconquista Picos de Europa

Gallery

See also

References

External links