Victory Cross in the context of "Battle of Covadonga"

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⭐ Core Definition: Victory Cross

The Victory Cross (Asturian and Spanish: Cruz de la Victoria) is an early 10th-century Asturian jewelled cross (crux gemmata) gifted by King Alfonso III of Asturias, who reigned from 866 to 910, to the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo (Asturias, Spain). It was made in 908 in the Castle of Gauzón.

At its core is an oakwood cross, in legend identified with a cross carried by King Pelagius of Asturias when his Christian forces defeated the Umayyad Caliphate troops in the Battle of Covadonga (722), which is regarded as the foundational event of the early medieval Kingdom of Asturias in northern Spain.

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Victory Cross in the context of Crux gemmata

A crux gemmata (Latin for jewelled cross) is a form of cross typical of Early Christian and Early Medieval art, where the cross, or at least its front side, is principally decorated with jewels. In an actual cross, rather than a painted image of one, the reverse side often has engraved images of the Crucifixion of Jesus or other subjects.

Examples in metalwork are the Cross of Justin II (6th century, in the Vatican Museums), the 'crumpled cross' in the Staffordshire Hoard (8th century), the Cross of Lothair (10th century, Aachen Cathedral Treasury), the Iberian Cross of the Angels (808) and Victory Cross (908), and the Cross of Cong (1120s?, National Museum of Ireland).

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Crux gemmata
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Asturian language → Spanish language → Kingdom of Asturias → Crux gemmata → Alfonso III of Asturias → Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo) → Oviedo → Asturias → Spain → Castillo de Gauzón → Pelagius of Asturias → Umayyad Caliphate → Battle of Covadonga →