Monastery of San Pelayo de Oviedo

In 996, Bermudo II of León made a donation to the monastery of San Juan y San Pelayo, confirming its existence at that time. At that point, the monastery welcomed daughters of royalty and nobility and was connected to the nearby male monastery of San Vicente and the basilica and cathedral of San Salvador. In 1053, the monastery received a significant boost with the visit of Fernando I of León, who, on that occasion, lavishly endowed it, and the renovation of the monastic buildings began. During the 12th century, the nuns officially adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict (1152), and at the same time, the dedication to Saint John the Baptist was lost, leaving only that of Saint Pelagius.

In the mid-16th century, San Pelayo welcomed other Benedictine communities that were concentrated there: Santa María de la Vega, Santa María de Villamayor, and San Bartolomé de la Nava. By the end of the 16th century, the monastery's favourable economic situation allowed for the reconstruction of the church and other buildings. By the 19th century, the monastery suffered from the effects of the Peninsular War, with a temporary exclaustration, and in 1837, the confiscation of church property deprived the community of much of its wealth. The 1934 Revolution and the Spanish Civil War deeply disrupted the establishment until the community was able to return in 1939. Today, the monastery from the Baroque period (16th-18th centuries) is preserved, housing some remains of the original medieval buildings (10th-12th centuries).