Roman bridge and Santa Cruz chapel in Cangas de Onís

The so-called Roman bridge over the Sella is the image of Cangas de Onís: from its central arch hangs a replica of the Cross of Victory. At the other end of the town, the Santa Cruz chapel stands on a dolmen, the oldest remnant of this place that was the first capital of the kingdom of Asturias. The two are joined in a short walk through the centre, beside the river.

The Roman bridge

It is called Roman by tradition; what you see is a stone bridge with several arches, three of them pointed according to Turespaña, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931. Turismo Asturias calls it a symbol of the town and one of the most photographed monuments in Asturias. The cross hanging from the central arch is a reproduction of the Cross of Victory, the wooden cross that, according to tradition, Pelayo raised in the battle of Covadonga.

You cross it on foot and it is free; for the photo with the cross, find a spot on the bank from which the whole central arch can be seen.

The Santa Cruz chapel

According to Turismo Asturias, in the year 737 King Favila built a chapel over a primitive dolmen to keep Pelayo's wooden cross, and it is believed to have been the first Christian church built in Asturias after the Reconquista. The dolmen is formed by five large stone slabs and two smaller ones that form a rectangle; their inner faces have engravings, paintings and pecked marks. The chamber was once covered by a great mound of pebbles and stones.

The present chapel is a recent construction, with a rectangular plan with a chapel and porch, a Tuscan column and a bell gable. Inside, a stone tablet recalls Favila's old inscription, and from the centre you can see the dolmen. It is at Avenida Constantino González, 7; to find out whether it is open, the official sheet gives the information phone number 985 848 005.

The walk

Allow about 45 minutes at an easy pace. The chapel has an access stair in the porch. If it is Sunday, combine it with the Sunday market, beside the Palaciu Pintu. For eating in the town there is El Molín de la Pedrera, and for sleeping by the river, the Hotel Nochendi.

Eight kilometres away is the Covadonga Sanctuary, where the story that the cross and the chapel tell begins.