Church of Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of the True Cross of Cangas de Onís Iglesia de la Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís
The entrance to the chapel today
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Asturias
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Chapel
Year consecrated	27 October 737
Location
Location	Cangas de Onís, Spain
Architecture
Architectural type	Chapel
Architectural style	Pre-Romanesque
Groundbreaking	437

The Church of the True Cross of Cangas de Onís (or Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís) is a small Roman Catholic chapel. You can find it in Cangas de Onís, a town in northern Spain. This town was once the very first capital of the Kingdom of Asturias.

The chapel was built on top of a very old stone monument called a dolmen. This dolmen was used by people long before the chapel was built. The chapel was started in the year 737 by Favila of Asturias, who was the second king of Asturias, and his queen, Froiliuba. It was officially opened on October 27 of that same year.

A special stone from the chapel's founding is still around today. This stone is important because it's considered one of the first written records from the time of the Reconquista. The Reconquista was a long period when Christian kingdoms in Spain fought to take back land from Muslim rule.

Santa Cruz chapel once held the famous Cruz de la Victoria (Victory Cross). This oak cross was supposedly carried by Pelagius of Asturias, King Favila's father. Pelagius was a hero who fought in the Battle of Covadonga. This battle was a key moment after the Islamic invasion of Spain in 711. The chapel was likely the first church built after this invasion.

The chapel has been completely rebuilt two times. It was first rebuilt in 1632. Then, it was rebuilt again after it was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. After this, local leaders decided to show the ancient dolmen that was hidden beneath the church. The dolmen had been covered by a church building since the 300s. Only the original foundation stone of the first chapel remains today.

People Buried Here

• Favila of Asturias
• Froiliuba (his wife)

Images for kids

• 

  This picture shows the dolmen. You can now see it through the chapel floor!

• 

  This is the original foundation stone. It has old Latin writing that talks about the chapel's start.

See also

In Spanish: Iglesia de la Santa Cruz (Cangas de Onís) para niños

• Asturian architecture
• Catholic Church in Spain