Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen) is a site northwest of Madrid, in the autonomous community of Madrid in central Spain. It is located in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
Situated 9 km north of the palace of El Escorial in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, the site claims to be a memorial to the dead of both sides in the Spanish Civil War. It is the tomb of 40 000 people (approximately 20 000 from each side). However, the tone of the monument is distinctly Nationalist rather than Republican; the supposed balance is rather upset by the inscription "Caídos por Dios y por España!" (to those who fell for God and for Spain) - very few of those who fought and died on the Republican side did so "for God".
Its construction was ordered by Francisco Franco, who is entombed there along with the Falange leader José Antonio Primo de Rivera, and was carried out by forced Republican war prisoners (the outdoor plaza) and specialists (the cave church), prisoners sentenced to death got two days of freedom for each day of work.
The complex includes a Benedictine royal monastery and an underground basilica including the tombs of Franco and Primo de Rivera. Above the basilica rises an enormous cross, reputedly the largest in the world, which is visible for miles along the road from Madrid to Segovia.
The complex may be visited by bus leaving from the entrance to the Escorial or by car.
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Last updated: 08-04-2005 18:55:40
