Covadonga – Lakes, Sanctuary and Historic Routes

Covadonga is home to the Lagos de Covadonga, a natural monument in the heart of the national park. The lakes Enol and Ercina are of glacial origin; when it rains and snow melts, a third lake, El Bricial, forms.

Nature

The Lagos de Covadonga area has viewpoints as well as easy, well-signposted paths. In Buferrera, a visitor centre with an exhibition on the national park’s characteristic flora and fauna welcomes visitors. The former Buferrera mines can also be visited.

Routes

The GR-202 Ruta de La Reconquista includes a section between Covadonga and Poncebos. Stage 7 of the GR105 Ruta de las Peregrinaciones runs from Cangas de Onís to Covadonga, is 14.6 kilometres long, has a low difficulty level and takes approximately four and a half hours one way. One GR105 stage enters the Picos de Europa National Park and then descends through the forest to the esplanade of the Basilica of Covadonga.

The different route lengths and approximate one-way durations can be compared directly for your own daily planning. The Ruta de la Reconquista follows the historic route taken by Muslim troops after their defeat at Covadonga. The Caminos de Peregrinación a Covadonga comprise historic routes leading from various places to the Santuario de Covadonga.

Culture

Covadonga is associated with the beginning of the Kingdom of Asturias in the 8th century. The Virgin of Covadonga, known as La Santina, is venerated in the Santa Cueva; the cave is a Marian place of devotion. The tomb of Don Pelayo is located there. His remains were transferred there in the 13th century together with those of his wife Gaudiosa and his sister.

The present-day chapel in the Santa Cueva is designed in the Neo-Romanesque style and was built in the early 1940s, after the end of the Spanish Civil War, by the architect Luis Menéndez Pidal. The Collegiate Church of San Fernando is the oldest building in the sanctuary. Its cloister preserves Romanesque tombs from the 11th century, which belong to early monastic burials.

The Basilica of Covadonga follows a Neo-Romanesque design by Federico Aparici y Soriano, based on an earlier project by Roberto Frassinelli; construction began in 1877. The Escolanía de Covadonga contributes to the liturgy and the veneration of La Santina at the sanctuary; it is a choir with treble voices.

Museums

The Real Sitio de Covadonga includes a museum as a visitor facility. The Museo de Covadonga displays 133 pieces from the Real Sitio collection as well as 17 portraits from José de Madrazo’s chronological series of the kings of Spain. These have been on loan there from the Museo Nacional del Prado since 1884.

The Museo de Covadonga occupies two floors of the former Hostal Favila, designed by Miguel Ángel García-Lomas and Urbano Manchobas and built between 1920 and 1931.

When comparing holiday apartments in Covadonga, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the listing pages. The route lengths and approximate one-way durations mentioned provide a neutral timeframe for your own planning.

Traditions

The Fiesta del Pastor is a festival of tourist interest and takes place every year on 25 July in La Vega de Enol, at Lago Enol in the Lagos de Covadonga area. It combines a shepherds’ council, rural sports, handicrafts, bagpipe music and local Cabrales or Gamonéu cheese.

A shuttle bus connects Cangas de Onís with the Real Sitio de Covadonga and stops at designated car parks along the way. Other destinations you can discover at this level are Cardes, Labra, Soto De La Ensertal, Mestas De Con, Llenín, Perlleces, Igena and Arriondas.

Below the lion sculptures at the entrance to the sanctuary, a path leads through lush vegetation and over wooden bridges. The Fuente de los Siete Caños can be reached via an uneven stone path beside the pond below the Santa Cueva and has seven small streams of water. According to local tradition, a girl will get married within a year if she drinks from the spring there.

To the higher-level travel overview: Cangas De Onis.