Basilicas in Spain—Oviedo

I blogged about the following basilica on January 3, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Savior in Oviedo.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Santander, Cantabria

Has been considered a minor basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Santander.  It was initially built in the 12th Century on the site of a former monastery which in turn had been built on the site of the original Roman settlement.  It was built to contain the remains of some 3rd Century martyrs.  The Gothic church has been expanded and renovated over the centuries.  The church was heavily damaged by an explosion in 1893 and by a fire in 1941.  It was restored between 1942 and 1953.

 

Pictures with sources

Basilica of Our Lady of Covadonga, Covadonga, Principado de Asturias

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1901.

An 8th Century king built a church inside a cave that soon attracted pilgrims.  The church was destroyed by fire in 1777, and the current church was built between 1877 and 1901 to replace the earlier church.  The current Neo-Romanesque building is made of pink limestone.  

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Royal Basilica of St. Isidore of Leon, Leon, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

The church was built between the 10th and 12th Centuries on the site of an earlier monastery.  The church is primarily Romanesque but has elements of other styles.  St. Isidore is buried in the church.  It was enriched by various kings of Leon, some of whom are buried in the church.  In the early 19th Century, the French army used the church as a barracks and stables and then set the building on fire as they left.  It was restored in the early 20th Century but was occupied by troops during the Spanish civil war.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady, Ponferrada, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1958.

The church was built in different styles the 16th and 17th Centuries.  It houses an image of the Virgin of La Encina (Virgin of the Oak).  The image is said by some to have come from Jerusalem in 442 and was hidden in an oak tree during a Saracen invasion in the 8th Century.  Other evidence dates it to the 17th Century.

The first two pictures are from the basilica's website and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Llanes, Llanes, Principada de Asturias

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1973.

Construction of the Gothic church began in 1240 and continued until the 15th Century.

From Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene, Cangas del Narcea, Principado de Asturias

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

In the 17th Century, a conflict arose in this town led by two prominent families.  One side wanted to keep the 500-year-old Romanesque church and the other side wanting to build a new church.  The second side won, and the current Baroque church was built between 1639 and 1642.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the third picture is from Wikipedia.

Basilica Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Gijon, Principado de Asturias

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

The church was completed in 1918 using neo-Gothic and modernist styles.  It was built by the Jesuits and has numerous symbols of the Catholic Faith seeking to inspire devotion to Our Lord.  It was used as a prison during the Spanish Civil War and is only 26 feet above sea level.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Road, La Virgen del Camino, Castilla y Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

The Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd at this site in 1505 and a church was built for pilgrims. It was clear in the early 20th Century that a new church was needed.  So the Dominicans, who administered the church with the financial help of a former son of Leon who owned a successful brewery in Mexico (Modelo), built the current church.  The modern church was constructed between 1957 and 1961.  A walnut wood carving of Mary dates to the 16th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Oviedo, Principado de Asturias

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The original parish church was built in the 12th Century in a Romanesque style.  This church deteriorated to the point that in 1882 it was demolished.  The current church was built between 1912 and 1915 predominantly in a neo-Romanesque style.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.