Santuario de Covadonga

Santuario de Covadonga - Wikimedia Commons/Raquel.Pasandin

Sanctuary of Covadonga

The Picos de Europa National Park is one of the great natural sites that we can find in the Principality of Asturias, which is a highly recommended detour for all pilgrims who make the Camino del Norte. In this place we can find treasures such as the Lakes of Covadonga or the Sanctuary of Covadonga, also called the Holy Cave.

The first chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary was ordered to be built by King Alfonso I of Asturias, with the aim of commemorating the victory of Don Pelayo in the Battle of Covadonga. This temple was handed over to the Benedictine Order for its management. The current construction is a historicist recreation in neo-Romanesque style, dating from the mid-20th century.

This chapel is built inside a cave, which has a waterfall at its feet that forms a pool. Next to it we can find the fountain of the Siete Caños, which is said that if a person drinks from its waters "without breathing" they will get married a year later. To access the Sanctuary you must climb the Stairway of the Promise, which has 103 steps that many pilgrims climb on their knees to show their devotion to the Virgin. 

Inside we can find images that recreate the Battle of Covadonga and the tombs of Don Pelayo and his son-in-law Alfonso I, although many historians doubt that this is really the case.