The 492-foot cross at Spain's <em>Valle de los Caidos</em> – Valley of the Fallen – will remain standing despite the Spanish government’s planned “resignification” of the site, according to the Spanish bishops' conference. The announcement follows controversy over and demonstrations against the government project and the Spanish Church's handling of the matter.
The Valley of the Fallen, located about 30 miles from Madrid, is a huge complex that took more than a decade to build before being inaugurated in 1959 as a memorial to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). It consists of a basilica situated underground in an excavated space in the mountain, a monumental cross – the tallest cross in the world – alongside a Benedictine monastery and school.
While an estimated 40,000 Spaniards from both sides of the conflict are interred there, the monument has come to be viewed as controversial and associated with Spain's fascist dictator General Francisco Franco, who ordered the construction of the monumental site in 1940. Franco was exhumed and removed from the basilica in 2019 in an effort to discourage public veneration at the site.
Bishop Francisco César García Magán, the spokesman for the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE, according to its Spanish acronym), in a press conference last week discussed how the initial intention declared by the Spanish government had included “the deconsecration of the basilica and the departure of the Benedictines”, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263193/tallest-cross-in-the-world-will-remain-despite-spanish-resignification-project"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> the <em>Catholic News Agency (CNA)</em>.
The news agency notes that this intention was also conveyed to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, during President Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Pope Francis on 11 October 2024.
During the press conference, García noted that the issue of “the destruction of the cross that overlooks the monumental complex” was on the table, “although it was not strictly a proposal from the government".
<em>CNA</em> reports that at a second meeting held in February between the Spanish government – represented by the minister of the presidency, Félix Bolaños – and the Holy See, several red lines conveyed by the Spanish bishops were reportedly agreed upon: maintaining Catholic worship in the Pontifical Basilica of the Holy Cross, ensuring the presence of the Benedictine community, and respecting “the religious elements located outside the basilica" – including the cross.
The resulting agreement, García pointed out, must still be formally spelled out “in an agreement that has not been finalised", despite the fact that the government has already initiated the procedures to carry out the "resignification" project.
The bishop also noted that CEE does not know the timetable for implementing the changes or what the “resignification” of the rest of the site will entail, <em>CNA</em> reports. Spain’s Ministry of Housing has issued an order to go ahead with an agreement “between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, and the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen Foundation” to reconfigure the site.
According to the government department, the "resignification" project “will offer a new, critical, and informed perspective on the history of our country” that will transform the complex into “a place for educational, cultural, and democratic use".
The ministerial department has confirmed to <em>ACI Prensa</em>, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, various details of the competition process for submitting ideas for the "resignification" project, which, the department affirms, “has the endorsement of the Vatican". This is reportedly partly based on the inclusion of a representative of the Catholic Church on the competition jury.
The "resignification" project envisions the construction of an “interpretive" centre or museum located on the esplanade in front of the basilica, as well as projects throughout the complex that “would complete the resignification process with an inclusive, respectful narrative in line with democratic values".
Proposals and bids can be made internationally and will be accepted for the next six months, with a final decision on the project expected to take place before the end of 2026. The government plans to spend 26 million euros (over $28 million) on the project, <em>CNA</em> reports.
García addressed criticism of the Spanish Church's handling of the project, and explained that the matter had been discussed during the bishops' plenary session. He said there had been a unanimous endorsement, "without a single dissenting voice", of the conduct of Cardinal José Cobo, the archbishop of Madrid, acting as mediator between the Church and the government on the project.
The spokesman said talks have been held to address concerns between the CEE; the former apostolic nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza; the Benedictine community that resides on the grounds of the memorial; and Cardinal Cobo.
Demonstrations of varying size have recently taken place in Spain following the leak at the end of March of conversations<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263057/cardinal-s-role-in-effort-to-resignify-franco-era-war-monument-sparks-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong> </strong></a>between the Holy See and the Spanish government about the complex's "resignification" project.
The latest took place last week in front of CEE headquarters, at the same time the CEE was holding its plenary assembly. It was mobilised by the Association in Defense of the Valley of the Fallen. During the demonstration, the Spanish bishops were urged “not to remain silent or complicit in the face of the government’s demands”.
The association released a statement that argued how the basilica at the Valley of the Fallen has an “inviolable character” in accordance with the agreements signed by the Holy See and Spain in 1979, <em>CNA</em> reports.
“What is being proposed there is a desecration and, therefore, the only thing to be done is to exercise the authority that has been conferred upon them to defend the integrity of the Valley of the Fallen as a sacred place, as a place of peace and reconciliation among all Spaniards," said the association's statement.
It also maintains that “any government action within the basilica – construction works, exhumations, inspections, events, etc. – requires the authorisation or at least the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority, usually the abbot or the local ordinary, in accordance with the terms of canon law.”
The CEE spokesperson noted that during the demonstration there were some who spoke calmly with the bishops, some who prayed but some who “shouted, insulted", exuding a “somewhat violent attitude” and who engaged in “calumny and defamation".
The <em>Fundación de Abogados Cristianos</em> ("Christian Lawyers Foundation") has filed for an immediate injunction to halt the government's "resignification" process at the monument.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/catholic-spain-no-longer-exists-says-archbishop/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: Catholic Spain no longer exists, says country’s top archbishop</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: Aerial view of the 'Valle de los Caidos' ahead of Francisco Franco's exhumation, Spain, 24 October 2019. (Photo by Xaume Olleros/Getty Images.)</em>
