Covadonga and Pelagius: the site of memory of a national hero in 19th-century Spanish and French literatures

Abstract

The cave of Covadonga, where Pelagius triumphs over the Muslim invader in the eighth century, has remained since the Christian texts of the Middle Ages one of the founding symbols of national identity. The main stages of its literary reception in the nine-teenth century in Spain and, by imitation, in France, allows us to observe the avatars of this epic material, tinged with religiosity from early on. This identity core, seized by the various ideological currents present in this period of profound political and cultural up-heaval, and its regional-cohesion value for individuals in exile retain their inspirational ca-pacity in almost all genres, be they fictional, referential or hybrid.