Covadonga: The Beginning of the Reconquista of Spain from the Infidel Muslims

Interesting articles and a video on the Battle of Covadonga between Christians and Muslims in Spain: the beginning of the Reconquest of Christian Spain from the Infidel Muslims

(The video is from a traditionalist Catholic group.)

Pelagius of Asturias

Pelagius (Spanish: Pelayo; c. 685 – 737) was a Visigothic nobleman who founded the Kingdom of Asturias, ruling it from 718 until his death. Through his victory at the Battle of Covadonga, he is credited with beginning the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian peninsula from the Moors. He established an independent Christian state in opposition to Moorish hegemony, but there is no strong evidence that he intended to resuscitate the old Visigothic Kingdom, or was motivated by any religious desire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagius_of_Asturias

Battle of Covadonga

The Battle of Covadonga was the first significant victory by a Christian military force in Iberia following the Muslim Moors' conquest of that region in 711. It was fought at Covadonga, most likely in the summer of 722. It assured the independence of the Kingdom of Asturias and, in the longer term, the survival of a Christian stronghold in northern Iberia. It was from there that the return of Christian rule over the entire Iberian peninsula began, so that the battle is in retrospect regarded as the beginning of the Reconquista.

Our Lady of Covadonga

Our Lady of Covadonga is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a Marian shrine devoted to her at Covadonga in the province of Asturias in north west Spain. The Spanish shrine rose to prominence following the Battle of Covadonga in 722, at which the Moorish invasion of Spain was first resisted. A statue of the Virgin Mary, secretly hidden in one of the caves, was believed to have miraculously aided the Christian victory. Our Lady of Covadonga is the patron of Asturias, and a basilica was built to house the current statue. Pope John Paul II visited the shrine at Covadonga to honor the Virgin Mary.

Stir Up Thy Might O Lord: The Beginning of the Reconquista of Spain by Video Sancto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKuUGLkwlqA