Covadonga

COUNTS OF REVILLAGIGEDO ESTATE
Built between the 14th and 17th centuries, the outstanding features of the
estate include the mansion, influenced by French classicist architecture, the
Chapel of Our Lady of Peñafrancia and the gardens of romantic inspiration.
These constitute one of the most outstanding private gardens in Gijón and
boast a monumental Baroque fountain dating from the 18th century.
GÜEYU DEVA
The source of the River Peñafrancia, its name refers to the place where a
spring or river emerges. It is one of Gijón's magical spots, a perfect site
with its delightful washhouse, bridge and water trough, conserved as
outstanding elements of Asturian popular architecture. The Güeyu or spring
itself is located at the foot of the Chapel of Our Lady of Peñafrancia and
was a place of special significance for pre-Roman cultures.
An ancient legend holds that, on the day the Battle of Covadonga took
place, the water that came out of the spring was red, allegedly
attributable to the blood shed in the battle. This was to establish a relation
between the two Rivers Deva. Although it is nowadays better known as
the River Covadonga –it is very easy and comfortable to name rivers after
The oldest part –the north side– is Romanesque, probably even PreRomanesque according to some researchers. It was originally a monastery,
linked to the coastal road of the Way of St James.
PLAQUE IN MEMORY OF ANDRÉS SOLAR
There is a plaque on the façade of the former Deva schoolhouse in memory
of this native of the parish who wrote in the Asturian language (1955-1984).
HEAD DATING FROM THE AGE OF HILL FORTS
A head –a totem carved in stone and embedded in the wall of a stable– can
be found in what is known as Casa Piñera, in Fano. Discovered by a
researcher from Gijón, Isidoro Cortina Frade, it is an archaeological specimen
dating from the age of hill forts which was previously located in a much older
farmhouse that collapsed a long time ago. These carved heads, of a magicreligious nature, are a testament to the sacralization of the human head by
ancient Indo-European cultures, who considered that it was where the
driving force of the body, the “soul”, resided.
This head may have a relation to other heads that are currently in the Chapel
of Santa Ana, in Riusecu. As it is located on private property, you need
permission from the owners to view it.
CASA LOLA
Heading uphill from Casa Piñera, when you reach the road to Peón, there is a
house where there used to be a bar many years ago, Casa Lola. This bar was
frequented by farmers from the Peón and Candanal valleys on their way back
and fore to Gijón to sell their products. A veritable race was organized from
here to get the best spots in the market.
Covadonga
PANORAMIC VIEW OF GIJÓN FROM EL CURBIELLU
After passing the boundary between Gijón and Villaviciosa, marked by the
River Nora, you come to Alto del Curbiellu Hill, which offers a grand,
panoramic view of Gijón.
The Way to
the place they pass through–, the true name of the river that emerges at
the foot of the Grotto in Covadonga is the River Deva.
The Way to Covadonga
INFO SHEET:
AREA: Eastern part of the borough
STARTS: Güeyu Deva
ENDS: Alto del Curbiellu Hill (Borough of Villaviciosa)
TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE
C/ Rodríguez San Pedro, s/n. 33206 - Gijón. Tel. +34 985 34 17 71 infogijon@gijon.info
Editing and coordination
Divertia Gijón S.A.
(Tourism Promotion Department)
Cartography
Gijón City Council Corporate
Integration Unit
Texts
Gijón City Council Municipal Foundation
for Culture / Parks and Gardens
Tertulia Cultural El Garrapiellu
Photos
cover: Cris Rubio
inside: Xurde Morán and
Tertulia Cultural El Garrapiellu
English translation
Paul Barnes
Printed by
Gráficas Covadonga D.L. AS/2646-2014
1st edition: November 2014
Printed on 115 gsm Igloo Gloss recycled paper
Between 1996 and 1998, members of the Ensame Aguarón potholers club
explored the interior of the Güeyu Deva, managing to penetrate about 900
metres and finding diverse chambers, galleries, siphons, et cetera.
SIDRA PIÑERA CIDER MILL
An establishment affiliated with the Gijón Cider Trail tourist product that
allows visits to the cider mill and natural cider tastings.
OUR LADY OF PEÑAFRANCIA CHAPEL (1689)
The Chapel of Our Lady of Peñafrancia was ordered built in the late 17th
century by Canon Luis Ramírez Valdés, prior of Oviedo Cathedral (the first
Mass was celebrated on 6th September 1691). It was later to become the
pantheon of the Marquises of San Esteban del Mar, who had their residence
in the neighbouring estate. Legend holds that the Virgin Mary appeared here
on 8th September one year. The local folk took the image to the parish
church, but it returned to its original place as often as it was moved, until the
chapel was finally built on the spot. It has Latin cross floor plan with a
polygonal apse housing the altar and the small chamber consecrated to the
Virgin, ribbed groin vaulting, under which can be found the tombs of the
marquises and, on a lower level, a small nave. The style of the exterior is
characteristic of popular churches, with a small porch on three of its four
sides, a slender steeple with pinnacles and thick buttresses.
PARISH CHURCH OF SAN SALVADOR DE DEVA
The present church is built over another, pre-existing one. The only elements of
the original church still standing include part of the arcade on the north side, a
capital and the foundation and consecration stone on the lintel of the side
entrance, dating from the 10th century. The Latin cross church comprises a nave
and rectangular apse, to which were added buildings and auxiliary structures
such as a typical porch with columns on the south and west sides of the nave.
Covadonga
Legend holds that Our Lady of Covadonga appeared to King Pelayo in the Holy
Grotto in 722 and handed him a cross with which he defeated the Moors at the
Battle of Covadonga. This cross was called the Cross of Victory and is today the
symbol of Asturias.
A pilgrimage route has emerged over the centuries to this shrine, a trail that
starts out from Gijón/Xixón. Its first stage reaches the village of Amandi, in the
neighbouring borough of Villaviciosa.
In 1858, Queen Isabella II of Spain made a pilgrimage with her entire entourage
to Covadonga to pray to the “Santina”, as the image of the Virgin Mary is
popularly known. For that reason, this route also receives the name of “The
Queen's Way”. However, the commencement of pilgrimages to Covadonga is lost
in the mists of time. Some authors state that the first documented pilgrimage
was that of the Asturian king Alfonso the Great, back in the 9th century. In any
case, the journey to Covadonga of this king is unthinkable without the existence
there of an ancient site of veneration, prior to the coming of Christianity.
Up until the present day, there have been many people who, out of devotion or in
order to fulfil a promise, have covered this route on foot. It was customary in
certain predicaments or conditions of illness or need for people to promise to
walk to Covadonga to thank the Santina for any gift received or to commend
themselves so that a wish might come true.
Today, this route has become popular for practising sports such as hiking and
mountain biking or due to an interest in discovering the cultural and natural
heritage of Asturias at a walker's pace.
In Gijón, the Way to Covadonga starts out from the parish of Deva. There is a
significant relationship between the River Peñafrancia in this parish and the river
that emerges in Covadonga, also named the River Deva, and between the shrine
to Our Lady of Peñafrancia and that of the Santina in Covadonga. Both are located
in sacred spots that were already places of veneration before the coming of
Christianity, where there was devotion to Deva, the Goddess of Nature.
The path starts at “Güeyu Deva” next to the washhouse and parish church,
passing through the neighbourhood of Pedroco before heading uphill along a
track towards Faro, where the head dating from the age of hill forts can be
found. The way continues on from Faro, climbing gently until reaching La Olla.
Another alternative route leaves Deva Camping Site, joining up with the original
route at La Olla, where the traveller can look down onto Gijón, seen here as if it
were a map. The Way then crosses the road to Peón before following a path
running alongside another farmhouse, among trees and meadows. It then
continues along a track to Castañera, where, after passing beside Mariñanastyle villas and houses, it enters the Borough of Villaviciosa.
Another parallelism between the two rivers is that they are both upwellings
of underground courses: that of the River Deva, from Riosecu; that of the
River Covadonga, from Vega de Orandi.
The Way to Covadonga –another one of the major routes, which, along with
the Coastal Road of the Way of St James and the Via de la Plata Route,
passes through Gijón– is of great scenic, cultural, religious and ethnographic
interest. Perfectly signposted from its starting point in the Borough of Gijón,
the route supposes a trip through Asturian history and nature and represents
one of region's major attractions.
The Way to
DEVA PARISH
Deva is one of the five most extensive parishes in the Borough of Gijón. It is
located at the eastern end of the borough, right on the boundary with Villaviciosa.
The neighbourhoods of Pedroco, Fondón and Serantes form the hub of the
parish and are home to the majority of its inhabitants. They occupy the
bottom of the valley, where all the buildings are concentrated, traditional
farmsteads coexisting alongside modern detached houses, as well as
ascending uphill towards Mount Deva. La Olla, a neighbourhood which for
its name (“The Hollow”) could well be located in a hollow, actually occupies
high ground overlooking the aforementioned neighbourhoods and also the
first areas of land belonging to the neighbouring Borough of Villaviciosa. A
noteworthy feature of the landscape comprises its areas of stagnant water
(“llamargales”) which form small hollows, especially the one known as El
Charcu, a small lake with lakeside vegetation.
The name Deva is of Celtic origin, based on Deiva (Goddess of Nature),
attributed to watercourses, rivers and springs and mentioned by all IndoEuropean peoples from Europe to India. Christianity transferred that cult of
Deva to the cult of the Virgin Mary.
A little further along the road, you come to Altu'l Curbiellu Hill, which offers a
panoramic view of Gijón, Peñes and Les Mariñes, as well as Quintes and
Quintueles. You can rest here before continuing along the path that leads in
stages, first to Amandi and then to Llames de Parres, before finally reaching
Covadonga. You enter the Royal Site via El Repelao Field, which leads to the
foot of the Holy Grotto, where a visit to the Santina and the monumental and
historical ensemble of Covadonga is a must.
The Way to
Download
the route for
Google Earth
(KMZ file)
Covadonga
Junction with other paths:
The Way of St James
Borough of Villaviciosa
Deva
Municipal
Camping Site
Counts of
Revillagigedo Estate
General information
Güeyu Deva
Church of
San Salvador de Deva
Actual distance: 4,960 m
Profile of the route (measured in metres)
Peñafrancia
Chapel
(Distance on the map: 4,940 m)
275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0
Junction with other paths:
Peñafrancia
0
1000
2000
3000
Difference in elevation: 219 m
Accumulated difference
in elevation: 271 m
4000
2
1
La ermita de Deva
5000
Plaque in memory of Andrés Solar
(Old Deva Schoolhouse)
Walking: 1 h 45 min
Running: 40 min
By bike: 40 min
3
Casa Lola
La Olla
Llagar Piñera cider mill
4
Head dating from the age of hill forts
Type of surface:
crushed gravel and asphalt
El mirador de Deva
Panoramic view of Gijón
from El Curbiellu
Key
Alto del Curbiellu Hill
Recreational area
Junction with
other paths
Fountain/washhouse
Hotel / Country hotel
Food&Drink
nearby
Place of interest
Start of the route
Car park
BUS stop
Kilometre
sign
Exceptional
wooded area
Alternative route
Church or chapel
3
Scale 1:16000
0
250 m
N
500 m
1000 m
W
E
S