Covadonga, Spain: Our Lady of Covadonga
About Covadonga, Spain:
The Moorish invasion of Spain began in 711 AD and resulted in most of Spain being under Islamic rule. Muslim forces were pushing north even as far as southern France, and seemed to be unstoppable.
Unwilling to surrender their Christian faith to the Muslim occupiers, many Spaniards fled here to Covadonga in northeastern Spain after the city of Toledo fell to the Saracens.
The Battle of Covadonga & Reconquista of Spain:
The Reconquista, or re-conquest of Spain, began in 718 here at the Battle of Covadonga. As a large Muslim force of the Umayyad Caliphate attacked the city they were met by a much smaller Christian army under the command of King Pelayo. The large Muslim force turned out to be at a disadvantage, however, since they had not factored in the small size of the valley they would have to traverse on their way to conquer the city making it difficult to use their cavalry or take advantage of the size of the force. On the day of the battle the large attacking force was repulsed, their second-in-command killed, and then when they tried to retreat a tremendous storm broke out that resulted in many of the attackers being thrown into the river as result of mud slides.
This marked a turning point of the Muslim conquest and the beginning of the re-conquest of Spain by the Christian forces.
Much of the credit for this victory was given to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to tradition, some local monks in the caves around this area invited King Pelayo to pray to the Blessed Mother in a grotto on Mount Auseva, where a statue of the Blessed Mother had been placed.
There is quite a bit of contradictory information in the sources cited below, and so we suggest you refer to them if you would like to learn more.
About the Chapel in Covadonga:
Regardless of the timing, the spot became a place of pilgrimage and was promoted by King Pelayo’s daughter, Queen Hermesinda and her husband, King Alfonso I. A chapel was built near the grotto and also a monastery of Benedictine Monks. In 1901 a large Basilica was erected at the site that draws thousands of pilgrims each year (among them Pope John Paul II). The small chapel seats only about 30 people. King Pelayo’s body was later buried in the chapel. Unfortunately the original chapel and the statue was destroyed by fire in 1777 and a duplicate, that you can see today, took its place.
Although August 1 was the date of the battle, the main celebration here takes place on September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.
Traveling to Covadonga:
Some Catholic travel groups go to Covadonga, but if you are traveling independently it will be a bit difficult. Due to its isolated location, you will need to travel by land from Santander or Leon. There is bus service to Covadonga from quite a few cities in Northern Spain.
Address: Lugar Real Sitio de Covadonga, 0 S/N 33589 Covadonga, Spain
GPS coordinates: 43° 18′ 29.7828” N, 5° 3′ 17.2224” W
Tel: +34 985 84 60 16
⇐ Back to Catholic places of interest in Spain
Sources:
1. Isabel Allardyce, Historic Shrines of Spain (New York: Franciscan Missionary Press, 1912), 33.
2. Madden, Daniel M. A Religious Guide to Europe. New York: Macmillan, 1975. Print.
3. “Don Pelayo and the Battle of Covadonga.” :: Catholic News Agency (CNA). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013