Church of San Martin de Gurulles

[Manuell Alvarez]

Hello Everyone,

By the time my father, Arsenio Alvarez Alvarez, was baptised in 1902, the Church, San Martin de Gurulles in the el consejo de Grado, was already 725 years old.

A lead dedication plaque found inside during renovations places the beginnings of the church in 1177. The building itself is believed to be much older.

1177 was the year that King Alfonso VIII defeated a Moorish army and recaptured the city of Cuenta. Further, during that same year, King Baldwin IV defeated Saladin at the battle of Montgisard.

One of my cousins in Oviedo told me that our grandparents, Manuel and Manuela Alvarez, and other family members are buried there in the cemetery.

My father was born in the nearby village of Vega de Peridiello and left Spain in 1920, with his brother Ramon. My uncle Ramon is also buried there while visiting with his brother, Jose, he died of a stroke on the family farm around 1963.

Manuell Alvarez
July 1, 2011