Village :: Covadonga (Spain)

Latitude	43.306943
Longitude	-5.053797

Place, where in 722 AD, Iberian Christians won a namesake battle over the Moors, is also one of centers of Picos de Europa national park.

In 722 AD, Iberian Christians won a namesake battle over the Moors in Covadonga. This was the first significant Christian victory over the occupying Moors and is often considered to be the start of the 770-year effort to expel the Moors from Iberia, the Reconquista. With time, the village became a piligrimage site. The cave, where Pelayo, the Asturian King, and his men concealed themselves during the battle according to the legend, is now a place where Pelayo is buried, and where the small chapel is located.

In the mountains above the village there are lakes known as Lagos de Covadonga, and the road leading to the lakes is often featured in the Vuelta a España bicycle race. This road by itself offers breathtaking views (that can be beaten only by the views of the lakes) and curves that ignite adrenaline attacks - so much that the road was lately closed for visitors who are now forced to take a special bus to reach Enol and Ercina lakes.

Covadonga is situated right inside the National Park called Picos de Europa - the oldest in Spain (founded in 1918).