A Place of Contradictions: Valle de los Caídos
I recently had the opportunity to visit one of Spain's most controversial memorials, Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen). Tremendous, impressive, and ominous, I'd recommend that anyone making the popular day trip to nearby San Lorenzo de El Escorial also try their best to visit Valle de los Caídos.
What is Valle de los Caidos?
Nestled in the lovely Sierra de Guadarrama, and located only 15 kilometers from UNESCO World Heritage Site El Escorial, Valle de los Caídos is a place of contradictions. Composed of a basilica, abbey, and an enormous cross, The Valley of the Fallen was commissioned by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1940 to supposedly honor the fallen of the Spanish Civil War. In theory, it was intended to be a memorial to commemorate both sides, but many believe this to be ironic and that it was actually Franco's shrine to victory and a place of mourning exclusively for his followers. Objectors point out the greatly unequal number of victims buried in the valley-- it is estimated that of the more than 11,000 people buried there in 1959 (the year construction finished) a very small percentage were Republicans while the great majority were Nationalists. Since 1959 the number of people buried has increased to at least 34,000 (although some estimate it to be much higher) and the number of Republicans has likewise increased, as mass graves were opened in other parts of Spain and bodies were sent to be buried in Valle de los Caídos. This decision created heartache for families who have never been able to locate their relatives and have eternal doubt as to their final resting place.
Further Controversies
Another source of tension among relatives of those buried here is the fact that their loved ones share the site with the tomb of Francisco Franco himself, as well as with José Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder of the Spanish Fascist Party. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about removing Franco's body from the basilica and reburying it in a place of his family's choosing. The last Commission of Experts for the Future of Valle de los Caídos, which met on November 29, 2011, did recommend that Franco's body be moved, arguing that the memorial was intended for (and should be exclusively for) the fallen of the Spanish Civil War. Yet it is not quite as simple as the government deciding to move Franco's body. Ultimately, it is the church's decision as the basilica is an official place of worship and, therefore, the Catholic Church has the legal power to decide.
Additional controversy and a widespread source of misinformation regards the people who constructed the impressive monument. My research showed enormous contradictions among sources. I came across accounts of 20,000 Republican prisoners being forced to risk their lives constructing the monument. Thousands of prisoners were estimated to have died in the process claim these sources. Yet other accounts declare that only 243 prisoners were involved in the site's construction (of 2,643 workers in total). These prisoners, it is alleged, chose to be involved in the labor and worked in exchange for a lighter sentence, fair wages and benefits for their families. In an eighteen-year period fourteen prisoners were said to have died.
I was shocked by these discrepancies and the overall lack of solid information. Even www.valledeloscaidos.es only has a three-paragraph explanation of the memorial's history. That is unacceptable! After reading at least thirty articles about Valle de los Caídos in both English and Spanish I was almost as confused as when I first started my research. It is certainly a reflection of how Spain sometimes tends to ignore the past-- a hot topic today among Spaniards themselves.
Visiting Valle de los Caídos
We drove up the mountains to visit the memorial on a bright Sunday morning. Approaching the exit on the highway, we could already see the cross, the largest memorial cross in the world (152.4 meters), looming in the mountains. It is impressively tall and I was surprised that I didn't know more people who had been to visit this monument, being so powerful and so close to Madrid.
Certainly the first thing that strikes you is the size of the cross. It's enormous. Then there are the lovely views of the mountains. But for me, the real emotional impact and the creepiest part of the monument is definitely the basilica.
Entering the basilica is downright eerie. You pass through its heavy doors and into the long, narrow nave. Dark statues of sword bearing angels stare down at you from both sides as you slowly make your way to the altar. Being a Sunday morning mass was in session, making the irony of the place even stronger in my eyes. As we listened to the angelic voices of the local children's choir, we waited for the service to finish in order to see the rest of the basilica. As about seventy-five people exited the service, they shuffled past the fifty or so tourists ready to take their place.
This is where things get even weirder. Walking around the basilica were at least twenty-five priests, talking to people and praying. As we approached Franco's tomb we could see some people standing over it and saying a prayer (fresh flowers adorned the stone) while others tried to sneak in a photo as the woman in charge screamed charges of disrespect to these rule-breaking tourists. I kept my camera in its case. It wasn't long before a priest approached our small group of four. He made small talk and congratulated us for being well-intentioned, young, Catholic youth. As if. I honestly don't know if this man is really so naive to think that everyone who visits this site is religious, or if he was intentionally trying to make us feel pressured.
Regardless, we were a bit uncomfortable, and we soon left the dark despair of the creepy crypt. Back into the blinding sunlight, I was again struck by the contradictions-- was this place beautiful, open, and sunny, or dark, creepy, and claustrophobic? I'll have to settle with deciding that it is a complicated and emotionally charged place, and a little bit of both.
El Valle de los Caídos Today
So what is the future of this place? And should you visit? Well, the future seems to vary with Spain's leading political party. To move Franco or not? To exhume bodies or not? To rename the memorial or not?
As an outsider and only recently educated on this period of Spanish history I tend to think that no one should ignore the past. The memorial shouldn't change its name and instead of erasing its history, however painful, I think that it is necessary to educate and promote dialogue about the place's history. I believe it is essential to establish a few reliable and easily found sources on the internet to find more information about the memorial. After seventy years there shouldn't be such widespread contradictions and misinformation as the page one google results in both English and Spanish.
For me, moving Franco's body is also like erasing a piece of the past. As a non-religious person, I see his body as an important reminder of history-- he did some terrible things that should be remembered as a way of honoring those affected. If we forget all of the bad people and things in the world, no matter how difficult it is to face them, we are doing our future generations and ourselves a disservice. Valle de los Caídos has the enormous potential to educate people about the events of the Spanish Civil War, but the government needs to be able to provide basic facts and information about the site that are not opinionated and skewed.
Overall, I think that everyone visiting the area should make a stop in Valle de los Caídos. Despite its contradictions and the lack of information found at the site, it is truly an impressive place and worthy of some reflection.
Hours: Every day except Mondays from 10:00-5:00 (Mass at 11:00)
Click here for more pictures of the basilica's interior.
I really hope that this post conveys the care I took in writing about this issue. I checked my facts as much as possible so if you find any discrepancies or have a different opinion, please leave me a comment.
Denni Ryll
Great article. Is 2 hours a reasonable amount of time to see this monument?
Thanks.
Lauren Aloise
Hello- for most visitors, I would say yes.
Quixotequest
When I lived in Madrid I wanted to make a day trip of it, but numerous friends had shared strong feelings of embarrassment and disdain—even worry of danger or less-safety at certain times of year. So I decided not to go—and I tend to agree with them that it deserves only to be remembered were it like a concentration camp memorial instead of a Roman Catholic basilica.
I did visit El Escorial, which I also heard much negative said about it from Spanish friends, but never that one ought not to visit. Thanks for adding a voice to the complex background behind this monument.
Paul E. Correa
You must have socialist friends.
Pablo
Interesting post. I came across it looking for tourist information as i would like to visit it.
It is really nice to read that people objectively appreciate the monumental value of the place, despise the controversy behind it. I wish it was the same in Spain. It has surprised me however the recommended literature about the Spanish civil war. In my opinion, if someone really wants to have a well formed opinion, at least two different points of view should be used as a source of information. On one side, Preston can be a good choce, on the other I would like to suggest Stanley Payne, whose review on Preston's book can be found in this link.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303302504577325594229771470
A book like Ghosts of Spain cannot be considered a real source. It is just literature , not academic work.
Peter Roberts
A group of us, including Spanish family visited the Valle de Los Caidos only the other day. The location, views and height are beautiful, the Cross is stunning as is the stonework at the foot of the Cross.
However, the Basilica is chilling in its formation out of rock. The roof scultures are a beautiful form, but you then remember why it was built, as a cathedral to General Franco? Not as a genuine memorial to all the fallen in the Civil War.
But as visitors we can only comment, without the deep knowledge of the Spanish. It has caused us to read, The Battle for Spain and The Spanish Holocaust to inform us of the Civil War's history.
Pepe
Just my two cents. It was never planned that Franco would be buried there. It was a personal decision by King Juan Carlos I. Works had to done quickly, including plumbering, etc, to built the tomb for Franco, because it did not existed and nothing was prepared for that. Franco's will was to be buried with his family.
As for Paul Preston's views as a historian. Nobody refuses that the number of victims by the subversive side was bigger than those of the government side. But Preston does not take into account what would have been the number of victims if the government had been winning the war and advancing steadily as the subversion was. Preston ignores what happened in government side by saying that it was "spontaneous repression". This is refuted everywhere and it has been proved that it was organised repression. As an example, it is now proven in foreign archives that the Paracuellos killings were organised by the Adminsitration with the help of the soviet advisers sent by Stalin. Preston says that it was all done by the comunist party and the soviet advisers, the Government been just ignorant. I would suggest that you read the research and books by Oxford's scholar Julius Ruiz, a critical of Franco's repression, who proves that Preston is sometimes bias in his book of the Spanish Holocaust. We had that experience in my family. My family was going to be killed by the reds militia when they managed to escape to Gibraltar. When they came back to Spain, all their friends had been executed.
eric
Hi there!
very interesting and Great article! I am visiting Madrid at the end of August and I'll make sure that "Valley of the Fallen" is on my to-do list. I am planning to tajke the bus from Madrid to Cruce de Cuelgamuros and walk up to the cross. You mentioned that the hours of visit is 10:00-17:00 except on Mondays. Do you know at what time does the gate "Cruce de Cuelgamuros" opens? Because if it opens before 10:00, I planned to arrive at the gate at 09:00 or even before and walk up there... I think the walking distance is 3-4 miles. Do you know how long it takes to walk the distance approximately?
Thanks for any help/input!
Lauren Aloise
Hi Eric, I wish I could be more helpful, but don't have any additional information. They've changed the hours and opening times often over the past years, so hopefully it will be open when you're here!
Paul Evans
I liked your article
Anthony
First of all I have to say that you have understood the opposite of the story of the spanish civil war. Nobody havn't tell you that the spanish republic was implemented a communist regime???. Nobody havn't tell you that there were around 4.200 priest were killed??? nobody havn't tell you that the spanish republic allowed the most radicalized parties set fire to thousands of churchs with a great artistic heritage??? or maybe the ¡¡¡10.000 PEOPLE !!! murdered by the reason of not being socialist or anarchist or communist??? In Spain BEFORE the civil war, People killed each others who didn't think the same. the americans or the british don't know NOTHING about that because you have not suffered a communist regime, because you have a false romantic idealism like people that wears T-shirts with the image of "ché Guevara"...
The Spanish rebublic was not a democracy in 1934, the communism took the power using the "revolutionary way" Killing everybody who did not think like them. The communism commited the worst crimes last century. You must read about it!
José Calvo Sotelo was a Spanish politician that was the leader of the right wing during the Second Spanish Republic. His murder by the government police force known as the Assault Guard and several socialist aroused strong suspicions of a government involvement in the crime and contributed greatly to precipitate the Spanish Civil War.
So...PLEASE! LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STORY OF SPAIN, BECOUSE THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR WAS A REACTION AGAINST THOUSANDS OF MURDERS UNDER THE RULE OF THE SECOND SPANISH REPUBLIC.
Thank you for your time.
Imanol
If you remove the mortal remains of that cigar smoking fatso called Churchill aka Mr Toffee nose , from that abbey , perhaps we could consider removing the wreath of flowers from Franco,s tomb
Semper Veritas
Me parece una falta de educación y respeto ir a un país que no es el tuyo y ponerte a criticar cosas que ni sabes ni has vivido. Los datos que das en tu blog NO son nada objetivos, parece que los has sacado del partido comunista...
Me parece una verguenza que un extranjero de una nación tan jóven tenga que venir a juzgar y a criticar monumentos nacionales que para la mayor parte de los españoles simbolizan un monumento a la reconciliación (aunque a la izquierda española y a ti no os haya gustado que en vez de tener una hoz y un martillo, hay una cruz, ¿no?. Especialmente dañando sensibilidades hacia una religión, (por que no lo haces en las mezquitas musulmanas, supongo que no hay huevos ¿no?. Por mucho que no te guste Franco (que lo habrás escuchado "de oidas") porque no tendrás ni p+++ idea de lo que ocurrió en España en la primera mitad del siglo XX deberías informarte un poco más de las causas y motivos de la guerra civil española. Yo no voy a tu país a recordarte el genocidio que hicisteis con la gente de color y con los indios nativos americanos, ni a criticar al norte o al sur de vuestra guerra civil, ni lo que hizo el sur con los negros...
Yo no voy a tu país a juzgar como tratais a las minorías ni critico vuestra politica, tampoco voy a tu país a faltar el respeto de ningun monumento y ninguna religión. Por cierto, que tampoco sabras que es el comunismo, supongo que lo llamarás "democracia" como muchos hacen (tu tal vez?).
Más respeto, más cultura y más educación es lo que necesitas y si no, vuelvete a tu pueblo, que os creeis el ombligo del mundo y torres más altas han caido...
vario
i qrrive in madrid the 11 th of mars
could you qnswer to me the duration and price to visit from the city center of madrid the place vallee de los caidos
Lauren Aloise
Hello, I really can't say as I drove out there myself! You could always rent a car and do the same, it's about 45 minutes if I recall...
Jim Rohrich
Thank you for posting your experience at Valle de los Caídos. I plan on seeing this monument in the future... hopefully the People's Party stays in power and keeps the monument open.
Imanol
and REMEMBER JUST ONE THING ,,,,,,,,,,THE VALLEY WAS OF,BY AND FOR SPANIARDS , NOT CAPRICIOUS SMARTALECKS FROM ABROAD WHO KNOW ABOUT THE POST WAR SPANISH HISTORY AS MUCH AS MY DOG, AND WHAT A COINCIDE¡ ALL OF THEM COME FROM ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES , OUR LONG STANDING FRIENDS ,
LONG STANDING FRIENDS , MY FOOT¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
Imanol
I would like you to make that rushmore memorial into a zoo park , for example , or that big beng into another Disneyland this time l,ocated in London London for example, and then we could do something about the valley of the fallen, do you all accept this proposal?
Stirl
Whatever people think of Franco the facts are that he stopped communist ambitions in Spain and saved the Catholic Church in Spain, the communist dominated "democratic" republican government murdered their political opponants from the right and left of the political spectrum - like Calvo Sotelo, Jose Antonio and Andres Nin - with a "nod & a wink" while killing hundreds of workers & socialists in Barcelona in May 1937, when Franco`s power was challenged by falangist chief Mauel Hedilla he didn`t execute Hedilla - he imprisoned him - Stalin`s NKVD ( KGB ) operating with the veiled concent of the republic executed Andres Nin for defying the communists - that is the difference between Franco`s dictatorship and the republics "democracy".
Bonnie
I visited Valle de los Caidos many years ago while on an art tour of Europe. My knowledge of it's history was limited at the time and the purpose of the tour was to view the architecture of Spain. Our tour took in El Escorial, Valle de los Caidos, and Toledo all in one day. Certainly a very full day. We arrived early on a foggy morning and the fog made it appear as though the mountainside just dropped off into nothingness and looming out of nowhere was the massive crucifix and the basilica. The contrast with El Escorial, which we had left a short time before, was astonishing. Impressive! I viewed the monument as a monument to all, from both sides, who had fallen in the civil war. It was not only impressive but emotional and I would recommend that anyone visiting Madrid not miss visiting Valle de los Caidos. Regardless of how one feels about the Spanish Civil war this monument is an architectural gem.
Sean
Hey Lauren, the 1st pic is the very definition of awesome. Wow.
I often find that when information is purposely confused or 'unavailable' (14 or 1,000's) then you should expect the truth to lean closer to the negative, unfortunately. I'm currently planning a trip to Spain myself and will have to add the basilica as a must view.
Trevor Huxham
This was a really well-done post, Lauren. I appreciate that you were very frank about where you stand on Franco's regime but still went to the monument anyways. Right now, I'm in the middle of reading Giles Tremlett's book "Ghosts of Spain" and in one of the chapters he recounts visiting the Valle de los Caídos on the anniversary of Franco's death, when all the fascists come out of the woodwork and everything. Crazy stuff. I'm not sure if I'll ever make it here because it's a good half-day's journey from Madrid (and the PSOE might close it again if/when they win the next elections) but this post was extremely informative and I enjoyed reading about your experience.
Ibermaxx
This is a great article. Full of information i been up to. Spain have so much to explore apart the beaten tourist tracks ...
bert
if the valley of the fallen is controvensial and an uncomfortable experience is none of your business. Do we express our opinions about that blot on the landscape called BIG BENG?
Ana
They are SPANISH sounding names, if you don't know Spanish they are strange.