Cimadevilla

Cimadevilla occupies the hill of Santa Catalina, a headland that was naturally isolated at high tide and so became a defensible stronghold from an early date. Its oldest urban roots are Roman. After the local population moved down from the hilltop settlement of Noega during the Flavian period, they built here: the Campo Valdés baths, a city wall with around thirty towers, a water reservoir near what is now the square in front of the birthplace of Jovellanos, and a cistern in the inner courtyard of the building later known as the Tabacalera.

The hill's strategic value made it a significant fortified position, until it was destroyed during the second siege of Gijón, fought between Enrique III, the future first Prince of Asturias, and his uncle Alfonso Enríquez, Count of Noreña and Gijón. A military battery was subsequently raised on the hill to defend the Gijón coast from pirate and corsair attacks. The hill also gave its name to one of the city's oldest institutions.

The Chapel of Santa Catalina was home to the Cofradía del Gremio de Mareantes de Santa Catalina, the most ancient and powerful seafarers' guild in Gijón. It belonged to the Hermandad de las Marismas, a network of maritime brotherhoods that held considerable influence across Cantabrian coastal towns. When the chapel was converted into a powder store, the guild moved to the Chapel of La Soledad.

From the early modern period, the development of a commercial harbour to the west turned Cimadevilla into a working sailors' quarter and pushed the city's growth southward. The Augustinian Recoletas convent opened in 1670 and later, from 1843 to 2002, operated as a tobacco factory, one of the neighbourhood's most significant employers. In 1985, architect Francisco Pol oversaw the rehabilitation of much of the area's housing stock, converted the old fishing port into a marina, and created new pedestrian spaces and squares.

The military lands on the hilltop were purchased by the city council in 1982 and turned into a park. In 1990, sculptor Eduardo Chillida installed his work *Elogio del Horizonte* at the summit. The military battery was restored and opened as a museum in 1997.

The hilltop of Santa Catalina holds the old military batteries, now a museum, and Chillida's sculpture *Elogio del Horizonte*. Below, Roman remains include the Campo Valdés baths and sections of the ancient city wall. Other landmarks include the Church of San Pedro, the birthplace of Jovellanos, the Palacio de Revillagigedo with its collegiate church, the Chapel of La Soledad, the Torre del Reloj, the former Tabacalera, and the old fishing port, now a marina.