Castillo de Gauzón

Gauzón Castle is located in Raíces Nuevo, in the municipality of Castrillón, Principality of Asturias.Work is currently underway to partially reconstruct the castle, as it had fallen into partial ruin. This was partly due to the fact that many of the stones used to build it were taken by local inhabitants over the centuries to build houses, etc. The castle is of particular importance to the history of Asturias because it was here that the Cross of Victory was covered with precious stones.Gauzón Castle, the most emblematic fortress of the kings of Asturias, is located on a natural promontory called Peñón de Raíces.

From its location, it dominated the Avilés estuary and the coastline. In the past, the sea reached the foot of the promontory. When the tide went out, a large area of dunes and marshes was visible. In 1972-77, Vicente José González García led the first excavations. Since 2007, an Archaeological Excavation Project has been underway.In 2013, the staff working on this project found a coin of Visigothic origin, an unusual discovery in northern Spain. It is a gold triente minted by King Recaredo I, which was found in a 9th-century stratum. Given that a hole was made in it, it is thought that it may have been used as a pendant. It is currently on display at the Archaeological Museum of Asturias.

The late antique settlement (6th/7th-8th centuries AD): the origins of the Kingdom of Asturias Archaeological excavations have uncovered buildings from a settlement dating back to the 6th-7th centuries AD. These consist of stone and lime mortar walls and various signs of occupation. This evidence points to an enclave linked to a powerful social class that would play an essential role in the formation of the Kingdom of Asturias.

Text adapted from “Castillo de Gauzón” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castillo de Gauzón ranks #4,430 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #192 of the 602 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 850, it is older than 94% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 65 atlas entries founded in the 9th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,254 times in the last 60 days, more than 55% of the atlas. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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