Valle de los Caídos

E96883

Valle de los Caídos is a monumental basilica and memorial complex near Madrid built under Spain’s Francoist regime to honor Civil War dead and long associated with Francoist symbolism and controversy.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Monument to the Fallen for Spain 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Catholic basilica
basilica
monumental complex
tourist attraction
war memorial
access open to the public
administeredBy Benedictine community
architect Diego Méndez NERFINISHED
Pedro Muguruza
associatedWith Francoism
Spanish Civil War
basilicaLength approximately 262 meters
builtUnderRegime Francoist Spain
commissionedBy Francisco Franco
constructionMaterial granite
constructionStartDate 1940
contains crypts with Civil War dead
underground basilica
containsRemainsFrom Nationalist soldiers
Republican soldiers
controversy association with Francoist propaganda
treatment and identification of Civil War dead
use of forced labor by political prisoners during construction
coordinates approximately 40.642°N 4.147°W
country Spain
crossHeight approximately 150 meters
estimatedBurials over 30,000 individuals
formerBurialPlaceOf Francisco Franco NERFINISHED
José Antonio Primo de Rivera NERFINISHED
FrancoExhumationDate 2019
hasFeature esplanade at the foot of the cross
funicular and road access up the hill
large sculptural groups of evangelists and virtues
inaugurationDate 1959
knownFor giant stone cross
large basilica carved into rock
legalProtectionStatus Bien de Interés Cultural
surface form: Bien de Interés Cultural (heritage site)
locatedIn El Escorial
surface form: San Lorenzo de El Escorial
locatedInMountainRange Sierra de Guadarrama
locatedInRegion Community of Madrid
locatedNear Madrid
memorialType ostensibly dedicated to all Civil War dead
nearbyLandmark El Escorial
surface form: Monastery of El Escorial
owner Spanish government
surface form: Spanish state
purpose to honor those who died in the Spanish Civil War
reinterpretedAs site of democratic memory debates
religiousAffiliation Roman Catholicism
surface form: Roman Catholic Church
status national monument
symbolism Francoist victory narrative

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Francisco Franco burialPlace Valle de los Caídos
Jerónimos hasLandmark Valle de los Caídos
this entity surface form: Monument to the Fallen for Spain