Covadonga in the context of Cangas de Onís


Covadonga in the context of Cangas de Onís

⭐ Core Definition: Covadonga

Covadonga (Asturian: Cuadonga, from cova domnica "Cave of Our Lady") is 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. With a permanent population of 55, the parish became a site of pilgrimage and a place of great cultural importance following the 722 Battle of Covadonga, which marked the beginning of the Spanish Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. The battle, which took place near the village in 722, was the first Christian victory in the Iberian Peninsula over the Arabs invading from north Africa under the Umayyad banner, and is often considered to be the beginning of the almost eight century-long effort to expel Muslim rulers governing Iberia during the Reconquista.

The two lakes of Covadonga, Enol 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 bicycle race. The Holy Cave of Covadonga is a monument dedicated to Our Lady of Covadonga that commemorates the Battle of Covadonga. It comprises the following:

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Covadonga in the context of 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 the Christian forces of Pelagius. It is traditionally regarded as the foundational event of the Kingdom of Asturias and thus the initial point of the Christian Reconquista ("reconquest") of Iberia after the Umayyad conquest of 711.

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Covadonga in the context of Alqama (8th century)

ʿAlqama or ʿAlḳama (Arabic: علقمة) was a distinguished Umayyad general who served in northern Iberia at the beginning of the 8th century.

By order of Munuza, governor of the Kingdom of Asturias, Al Qama commanded an army tasked to end the riot of Pelagius of Asturias. Al Qama's army arrived and set up camp in the Cantabrian Mountains near the town of Covadonga where Pelagius was hiding. After Pelagius refused to surrender, Al Qama ordered his soldiers to enter the mountain pass where they were ambushed in the ensuing Battle of Covadonga. Al Qama was killed and his army dispersed and retreated from Asturias.

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