Archaeological Monument Valle de los Caidos, Valle de los Caidos is a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honors those who fell during the Spanish Civil War.

Valle de los Caidos

Valle de los Caidos - Spain
Valle de los Caidos is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
Valle de los Caidos monument was established on 1960.

Primary threats to Valle de los Caidos :

Valle de los Caidos is a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honors those who fell during the Spanish Civil War.

Historical facts of Valle de los Caidos :

The Valle de los Caidos is a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley in the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, conceived by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco to honors those who fell during the Spanish Civil War. However, only two names are commemorated— that of Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera and Franco himself.It was also claimed by Franco that the monument was meant to be a "national act of atonement". As a surviving artifact of Franco's rule, the monument and its Catholic basilica remain controversial, especially due to the manner and circumstances of its construction (built by political prisoners).In 1960, Pope John XXIII declared the underground crypt a basilica. The dimensions of the underground basilica, as excavated, are larger than those of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. To avoid competition, a partitioning wall was built near the inside of the entrance and a sizable entryway was left unconsecrated.