Covadonga
Encyclopedia
Covadonga is a village and one of 11 parishes in Cangas de Onís
, a municipality
within the province and autonomous community
of Asturias
, in northwestern Spain
. It is situated in the Picos de Europa
mountains.
AD, Iberian Christian
s won a namesake battle
over the Moors
in Covadonga. This was the first significant Christian victory over the occupying Moors and is often considered to be the start of the 770-year effort to expel the Moors from Iberia
, the Reconquista
. Our Lady of Covadonga
is a significant Marian shrine. The Spanish Army
has, over the years, named several of its units "Covadonga".
In the mountains above the town there are lakes known as Lagos de Covadonga
, and the road leading to the lakes is often featured in the Vuelta a España
bicycle race.
Cangas de Onis
Cangas de Onís is a municipality in the eastern part of the province and autonomous community of Asturias in the northwest of Spain. The capital of the municipality is also Cangas de Onís....
, a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
within the province and autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, in northwestern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is situated in the Picos de Europa
Picos de Europa
The Picos de Europa is a range of mountains 20 km inland from the northern coast of Spain, located in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León, forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains...
mountains.
History
In 722722
Year 722 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 722 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Americas :* January 3 – K'inich Ahkal Mo' Naab...
AD, Iberian Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s won a namesake battle
Battle of Covadonga
The Battle of Covadonga was the first major victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Muslim Moors' conquest of that region in 711...
over the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
in Covadonga. This was the first significant Christian victory over the occupying Moors and is often considered to be the start of the 770-year effort to expel the Moors from Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
. Our Lady of Covadonga
Our Lady of Covadonga
Our Lady of Covadonga is a title of the Virgin Mary, and a shrine devoted to her at Covadonga in the province of Asturias in north west Spain. The shrine rose to prominence following the Battle of Covadonga in 722, at which the Moorish invasion of Spain was first resisted...
is a significant Marian shrine. The Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish 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 15th century.-Introduction:...
has, over the years, named several of its units "Covadonga".
In the mountains above the town there are lakes known as Lagos de Covadonga
Lakes of Covadonga
The Lakes of Covadonga are of two glacial lakes located on the region of Asturias, Spain. These lakes, usually also called Lakes of Enol, are Lake Enol and Lake Ercina located in the Picos de Europa range and they are the original center of the Picos de Europa National Park, created in...
, and the road leading to the lakes is often featured in the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
bicycle race.
See also
- Battle of CovadongaBattle of CovadongaThe Battle of Covadonga was the first major victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Muslim Moors' conquest of that region in 711...
- Count of Covadonga
- Countess of Covadonga
- Schooner Virjen de Covadonga