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Covadonga
«Covadonga tiene una cueva con una virgen muy famosa.»Covadonga has a cave with a very famous virgin.
Covadonga is a sanctuary within the Picos de Europa, in a valley enclosed by rock walls. In 722, a Muslim expedition was repelled here, an episode from which the Kingdom of Asturias was born, and the Virgin is kept in an open cave halfway up the wall.
Did you know
Pelayo rests in the cave.
Inside the natural cave rests Pelayo, the Visigothic king who began the Reconquista here by defeating the Moors in 722.
How they talk in Covadonga
«Cuadonga» is the Asturian form of Covadonga. «Santina» is the affectionate nickname for the Virgen de Covadonga used throughout Asturias.
prestar
To cause pleasure or satisfaction. Daily use in constructions like «présta-me/prestóme» to say that something is liked or has given pleasure.
Everyday life in Covadonga
The cave with the Virgin inside
The «Santina» is in a hollow in the rock above a waterfall, and pilgrims climb the staircase carved into the wall: candles are lit inside the mountain, and it is the most visited place in Asturias.
«Vamos a ver a la Santina.» — Let's go and see the Santina.
The cows on the road to the «Lagos»
Climbing to the lakes you encounter herds that occupy the asphalt and do not move: you wait, you honk little, and the shepherds are still there with their cabañas.
On 8 September all of Asturias climbs up
The day of the Santina is the regional holiday: thousands of people go up by coach, the Asturian anthem is sung in front of the basilica and people eat on the grass.
«El ocho de septiembre sube todo el mundo.» — On the eighth of September everyone climbs up.
What to eat in Covadonga
Fabada asturiana
Large white beans slow-cooked with chorizo, morcilla and lacón.
Queso Cabrales
Blue cheese aged in the caves of the Picos, strong and creamy.
Caldereta de pescado
Rock fish soup with potatoes and peppers.
Festivals in Covadonga
Fiesta de la Santina
8 September
The festival of the patron saint of Asturias: you climb to the cave in the rock and sing the anthem in front of the Virgin.
What to see in Covadonga
Santa Cueva
The cave in the rock face, with the chapel of the Virgin and the tomb of Pelayo inside.
Basílica de Santa María la Real
The neo-Romanesque pink stone basilica, completed in 1901, above the valley.
Fuente de los Siete Caños
The fountain under the cave, of which it is said that whoever drinks from it will be married within the year.
Lagos de Covadonga
The glacial lakes above the sanctuary, at twelve hundred metres, inside the national park.
Where Covadonga comes from
Where the Reconquista began
722
The battle
Pelayo repels a Muslim expedition in the valley: from there the kingdom of Asturias begins.
8th century
The cave
The chapel with the Virgin is placed in the cave: it becomes the sanctuary of the kingdom.
1777
The fire
A fire destroys the old church and the archive: almost everything is lost.
1901
The basilica
The neo-Romanesque pink stone basilica is finished, above the valley.
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