The Sanctuary of the Virgen de Bendueños, also called Our Lady of Bendueños, is a place of worship of the Catholic Church located in the town of Bendueños (municipality of Lena), in the central area of Asturias in Spain. It is located on the south, towards the port of Pajares on the N-630, about 5 km from Pola de Lena, so it was one of the most sought after stops for pilgrims making the Camino de Santiago from León through Oviedo.
It is a Gothic style sanctuary, founded in 905, when King Alfonso III and Queen Jimena donated a series of monasteries to the Archdiocese of Oviedo, among them Bendueños, on January 20th. A structure was built on the foundations of the primitive pre-Romanesque temple that is partly from the late Middle Ages. In the 16th century, the current sanctuary was built on the previous remains. Different compartments were added such as the sacristy, side altars, bell tower, etc. Separated from the sanctuary by a few meters to the north, in front of the main portico, is the “Casa de novenas”, which was inhabited by a hermit who took care of the sanctuary and helped pilgrims. It was significantly enlarged in 1741.
The sanctuary had one of the first “priestly confraternities”. In it, the parish priests of nearby places - and some from far away - met to improve their human, intellectual and moral life, as well as to receive the Sacrament of Penance, for which a loft was built in the east area that served as a meeting room and was called the “House of the Confraternity”. The sanctuary was closely linked to the Benedictine monasticism, since there were five of them in the surroundings of the sanctuary, frequented by monks and abbots.
Continue reading on Wikipedia 
