The lakes were the farthest we would venture into the park. We headed back the way we came to visit an important historical site for Asturians.
This is the basilica we were here for. It was built between 1877 and 1901. It was built to replace a temple which had burnt down a century before. It complements a shrine to Our Lady of Covadonga nearby. More of that further down.
A face on view of the basilica.
We took a quick look inside but I didn't tarry long.
The shrine on the other side of the gorge.
A statue of
Pelayo, the first king of Asturias. He was a nobleman who rebelled against the Moorish rulers to the south. A Muslim army sent to quell the rebellion was defeated in the
Battle of Covadonga. It is regarded as the first battle of the
reconquista of the Iberian peninsula. Note that the process took 7 centuries until 1492 when Granada fell to the Christians.
Here is the cavern that houses the shrine to
Our Lady of Covadonga. The legend is that Pelayo prayed to the Virgin Mary and in the battle used the mountainous terrain to the advantage of the defenders before emerging from the caves to slay the invaders. Their commander fell and victory was Pelayo's.
The passageway to the statue of the Virgin. The shrine was very crowded, even with one way traffic, and while some people sat down for the service, most passed through to the exterior.
The view from the exit of the shrine.
A view of the basilica on the other side of the gorge.
The busy mountain road running through the gorge.
We walked up the road to the cluster of buildings around the basilica and by and by reboarded the bus. Note that this site is on a branch off the main route which is why we didn't encounter these landmarks when we headed for the lakes earlier.
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