www.frtommylane.com
Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
We are in the province of Asturias. The Muslim invasion of Spain from Africa
began in 711 and the beginning of the reconquest of Spain began from here in
Covadonga in 722 with the victory of Don Pelayo and his army. The name Covadonga, comes from two
words, cueva meaning “cave” and donga meaning “deep”, so it means “deep
cave.” According to legend, Don
Pelayo, received the breath of the Virgin who appeared before the Christian
soldiers in the historic battle of 722. After
the victory, the cave in which the soldiers had taken refuge was converted into
a place of Christian worship and King Alphonso I built the first chapel here. Tradition has it that even before the
battle this cave had been dedicated to Our Lady. This victory in 722 laid the foundations of the Asturian
reign whose royal court was first established in Congas de Onís, the village in
the valley below which we have just seen. The
Asturian court was later transferred to Oviedo during the reign of Alphonso II. (King Alphonso II built the Camera Santa
for the Sudarium in Oviedo) A monastery was built at
the foot of the cave which guarded “la Santina” the Virgin of Covadonga, the
patron of Asturias but the monastery and image were destroyed by fire in 1777. From the cave a long tunnel has been
bored through the rock which contains the tombs of Don Pelayo and his wife, and
King Alphonso I. The tunnel leads
to the
Basilica of Covadonga built between 1877 and 1901. Most pilgrims enter the cave using the
tunnel from the Basilica esplanade rather than climbing the more than one
hundred steps up the hill. Pope
John Paul has visited and prayed here. The
surrounding mountains are part of the Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe), Spain’s
largest national park.
It is good to reflect that now Mary’s House as it is called, on
Mount Nightingale north of Ephesus in Turkey, is an ecumenical Marian
shrine, visited by both Christians and Muslims. We can use our visit here to Covadonga today as an opportunity to pray
for the unity of all peoples in peace and harmony before God. Mary Queen of Peace, Pray for us.
This was delivered when I was Spiritual Director for a pilgrimage.