Victory Cross
Picture of the Santa Cruz de la Victoria.
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| Material | Various (incl. gold, gems). |
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| Created |
Early Middle Ages (c. 908 AD; core claimed from 8th century) |
| Present location | Cámara Santa, Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo |
The Victory Cross (Asturian and Spanish: Cruz de la Victoria) is an early 10th century Asturian Christian ornamented processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made in 908 in the Castle of Gauzón (Raices Viejo, Castrillon, Asturias, Spain). It is a crux gemmata or jewelled cross, given by King Alfonso III of Asturias, who reigned from 848 to 910, to Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo (Asturias, Spain). According to the legend, the wooden core was carried by King Pelagius of Asturias at the Battle of Covadonga. The old oak wooden cross was covered with gold and precious stones in 908, under King Alfonso III and donated to the dean of the Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo), where it still is today. However, there is no historical evidence that Pelayo used exactly this same cross.
Since December 1990, the flag of modern Principality of Asturias bears the Victory Cross offset towards the hoist.
Tradition says that the primitive, undecorated wooden core of this cross was carried against the Muslims of al-Andalus by King Pelagius of Asturias at the Battle of Covadonga. But this is a legend, there is no historical evidence that Pelayo used exactly this same cross. Tradition continuous saying that the cross would later be kept by his son Favila of Asturias in the Church of Santa Cruz de Cangas de Onís erected by Favila and his wife Froiluba in 737 and dedicated to True Cross in Cangas de Onís, the first capital of the Kingdom of Asturias. The ornate casing, similar to that upon the Cross of the Angels, was added later, always according to tradition. However studies based on radiocarbon dating tests have demonstrated that the wooden core is contemporary to the ornate casing.
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