In the 1232 year, the first documentary appointment of the whale hunting in Asturias, and it was in the port of «Entrelusa» (small cove located in the current term of Perlora). They say that Carlos V himself asked as a dowry for him, when he landed in Asturias, nothing more and nothing less than this small whaling enclave. There are many legends that reinforce his maritime role, such as the one that maintains that the Christ of Candás, the Christ par excellence of all the brotherhoods of Asturias, the most marinero Christ that is known, was rescued by Candace fishermen from the wild waters of Ireland in the 16th century. They also say that, once in Candás, the carving carried slopes imitating the local sailors distinguished by crossing the dreaded Cape Horn. Christ presides the Church of San Felix, a Neo-Baroque building - with primitive remains of the Romanesque church of the twelfth century - which is one of the busiest sanctuaries in the center of Asturias.
The sea, the sea, the sea ...
For a large part of its history, Candás was the port that marked the price of fish in Asturias thanks to its great canning development. It began its boom in the 18th century with the tradition of salting and pickling and it developed extensively in the 19th century, until the middle of the 20th century, when there were 24 canning factories in the village. There is a permanent exhibition of the canning industry of Candás located in the old cistern of a canning factory in the Les Conserveres Park. A center in which one travels crosses the history of this activity with real jewels of the time, original pieces related to machines, utensils and materials of this industry.
In the vicinity of the dock of the port rises The statue of La Marinera, representing with gesture of suffering all the women who came to port waiting for the happy return of their husbands. The Candás Lighthouse is another of the local symbols. Located at the Cape of San Antonio, on the edge of a cliff of 40 meters, it marks the entrance to the port. To reach it there is a path that starts from the urban center. From this promontory, on clear days, we can see to the east the breakwater of the Port of Gijón, and to the west a wonderful coastline that extends to Cabo de Peñas. In the surroundings we discovered some legendary cannons that the Spanish crown commanded to be placed to protect the town from the attacks of the English corsairs.
Walking around Candás
Walking around Candás is a rewarding experience. We can start from the port itself and its promenade, which together with the nearby urban beach of La Palmera It is one of the busiest areas, where hotel establishments and restaurants abound. Although, if we like to walk, we can start our tour from the impressive cliffs near the cemetery and descend to the villa contemplating unique views, passing by the beaches of Sequiro, Solfín and Rebolleres. OR climb to Punta San Antonio, where the lighthouse is located, to go down to the port later, stopping at the Anton Museum of Sculpture. A very well-proportioned museum with enough prestige to attract contemporary works of significant weight and artistic size. It is located in a large house of the eighteenth century, surrounded by a large garden where we can take a rewarding walk among sculptures of all conditions. We approach a strange troll, almost an ogre, hairy, with great self-assurance one of the candasino symbols: the sardine. We are also startled by a huge face lying on the ground, a monumental face like those on Easter Island.
Asturian preserves
The streets of Candás exude the air of canning and craftsmanship, with shops specializing in exclusive pieces and Asturian products everywhere, especially unique canned tins: calamari and fabes, anchovies, cider tuna, peppers stuffed with tuna, seafood salad, sardine patés, wild winkles, caviar orices, seaweed tortillas and a long etcetera that constitutes a renaissance of this industry. , yes, at gourmet trade. We are surprised by a mural of almost ten meters long of the salve marinera, painted on one of the walls of the plaza candasina of El Paseín. The painting is considered one of the most prized pieces of this outdoor museum that is Candás.
A rich heritage
In the urban area there are beautiful examples of civil architecture such as the City Council, sober and robust, an impressive building of the twentieth century. Also a cultural life not negligible, as shown by the fruitful agenda of the Prendes Theater. Close to the nucleus of the city there are innumerable attractions for the visitor, such as the Quinta Clarín in the neighborhood of La Rebollada, where he spent long periods the writer Leopoldo Alas Clarín, who has included Candás in many of his stories; or the Tower of Prendes from medieval times, on a gentle hill at 7 kilometers from Candás. A solid square construction raised between the XIV and XV centuries of which only two heights remain. The Church of Santa María de Piedeloro, in the town of the same name, it has been declared a Historic-Artistic Monument and it consists of a single Romanesque nave from the 12th century. The Chapel of San Roque, on Mount Fuxa, about 300 meters from the city center, was built at the beginning of the 16th century to pray to the saint that the plague would not enter Candás. On August XNUMX, the festival takes place in his honor, with mass in the chapel and subsequent pilgrimage. Hórreos, bread baskets typical of this area, fountains, lime kilns and laundries of yesteryear dot the villages of the council.
Archeologically highlights the dark cave, in Perlora, there was detected the presence of the first residents of carreño. Near this enclave was built during the 20th century the holiday town of Perlora, union city in its origin that took its splendor during the 60 years as a holiday retreat. It is located about 2 km from Candás, by the sea, has access to two beaches and viewpoints to the Bay of Biscay. Nowadays it presents a manifest deterioration to which one wants to face giving it a new tourist focus.
The magnetism of this town as a summer resort has been and is fully supported by a typical Asturian village, a surprising coastline and an unbeatable location, just 15 kilometers from Gijón and Avilés and 30 from Oviedo.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com