Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís

Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís is a small chapel in Asturias with a rectangular layout divided into a sanctuary area and a portico accessed by exterior steps. The floor features an opening that reveals five massive stone slabs from a prehistoric dolmen that lie beneath the building.

The site was founded by King Favila of Asturias and Queen Froiluba in 737, making it one of the first Christian structures built after Islamic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The foundation stone bears Latin inscriptions documenting altar consecrations and marks the building as one of Spain's oldest written records of Christian resistance.

The site shows how early Christians in Asturias blended pagan burial grounds with their new faith, creating a bridge between two worlds. Visitors can see the five large stone blocks from the ancient dolmen still incorporated within the walls and floor.

Visitors enter through the exterior staircase of the portico, and the interior is open during regular visiting hours. The opening in the floor allows you to view the ancient stone blocks below without any special equipment or physical demands.

The building stands atop the remains of a prehistoric dolmen and fuses two vastly different historical eras - millennia before Christianity and the early medieval period. This repurposing was no accident but a deliberate practice of early Christians to absorb sacred pagan sites into their religious practice.

Location: Cangues d'Onís

Inception: 8 century

Architectural style: pre-Romanesque art

GPS coordinates: 43.35269,-5.13039

Latest update: December 9, 2025 18:48