Santa Cueva De Covadonga, Cangas De Onís, Spain Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The Santa Cueva de Covadonga is a Catholic sanctuary located in Asturias, northern Spain. It is a cave in the Picos de Europa mountains, which gives its name to the parish of Covadonga in the municipality of Cangas de Onís. The meaning of `Covadonga`, from the Latin Cova Dominica is `Cave of the Lady`, because the place is dedicated to the cult of the Virgin of Covadonga. The first construction in the Holy Cave dates back of the reign of Alfonso I of Asturias, who, to commemorate the victory of Pelagius to the Muslims, built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, that would give rise to the invocation of the Virgin of Covadonga,popularly known as La Santina.