Population nucleus head of the parish of the same name, in which approximately half a thousand inhabitants live.

Cornellana is located in a strategic site, at the confluence of the Narcea and Nonaya rivers and on the edge of the N-634 national highway, with a bridge that crosses the Narcea and that was traditionally one of the key points for communication between the western and central Asturias.

Populated since ancient times, this place in Roman times had a rustic villa, from whose name (Cornelius) the town takes its name. In 1024 the monastery of San Salvador was founded here, one of the great religious centers of medieval and modern Asturias, and one of the main monumental complexes directly linked to the Camino de Santiago Primitivo. This monastery was inscribed in 2015 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well linked to the Jacobean route.

In the 15th century, the existence of a pilgrim hospital in Cornellana, opposite the monastery, was documented, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la O or de la Expectación. It depended on the monastery, in which the pilgrim was certainly also welcomed.