“Valle de Cuelgamuros viewed from the esplanade“, Godot13, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Valley of the Fallen is a beautiful monument erected in the memory of those who died on both sides of the Spanish Civil War (36-39). Unfortunately its history is tainted by the influence of the dictator Francisco Franco, who is remembered by Spain in quite a controversial light.

The Monument

El Valle de Cuelgamuros is a multi-building structure consisting of a Basilica, a Benedictine Abbey, a guesthouse, several monoliths, and the valley itself. It is also topped with the tallest Christian Cross in the world at 500 ft tall. The monument was built as a way of uniting two halves of a broken nation, split by a recent civil war, and entombs fallen soldiers and civilians from both sides of said conflict. It was also the “final” resting place of Francisco Franco until recently.

Francisco Franco

To garner a better understanding of the controversy surrounding this building, it is best to look into the man who had it built. Francisco Franco was a military leader in Spain leading up to the rebellion which resulted in the 3 year long Spanish Civil war. Throughout the war Franco would commit many atrocities, including placing his enemies in internment camps to be “rehabilitated” through work. Franco had also made temporary allies of both Hitler and Stalin during this time. Following his victory, Franco was made the dictator of Spain.

During his time as dictator, Franco continued his “rehabilitation” of the Spanish people through forced labor camps, as well as executions of his political enemies. Culturally, he suppressed many practices with foreign influence and promoted ideas that he deemed were good enough to create a good image of Spain. Religiously, he repressed any beliefs that were not catholic (as is evident by the worlds largest cross I’d imagine). The total number of deaths from his rule are estimated anywhere between 30-100 thousand people.

He did, however, finally end the economic stagnation that had befallen Spain due to their international isolation, which is why some more modern politicians and citizens will still look back on him as a good leader, or at least a necessary evil. Franco died in 1975 and was entombed in the Valle de Cuelgamuros.

Francos Exhumation

Recently Spain has begun to reflect on its past and the consequences of the Franco regime. Up until now, the impact has mostly been ignored to prevent divisiveness among the spanish people, but seemingly it’s no longer a subject that certain people can tolerate to ignore any longer. A committee dedicated to the remembrance of those killed during the civil war has been pushing for reexamination of Franco and his policies, and ultimately this pursuit of the truth has lead to the exhumation of Francos remains from the monument. Many citizens are split over whether this should have happened or not, with wide ranging opinions, but clearly the movement to reconcile with the past has gained significant steam. This exhumation is not just a denouncement of Franco but of the tragic past that Spain has been trying to ignore.

  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-franco-reactions-factb-idUSKBN1X31EO/
  • Ruiz, Julius. “‘Work and Don’t Lose Hope’: Republican Forced Labour Camps during the Spanish Civil War.” Contemporary European History, vol. 18, no. 4, 2009, pp. 419–41. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40542795. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.