Valley of the Fallen
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 3:05 pm
It was known as the Valley of the Fallen, now Valle de Cuelgamuros. This basilica was built under granite rock by prisoners of war (Spanish Civil War) on the orders of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1940 and opened in 1958. The 150-metre-high (500 feet) cross is constructed of stone. Beneath the valley floor lie the remains of 40,000 (33,800 republicans) victims, though the remains of the dictator and Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera (A Falangist hero) are no longer there. The complex also has a Benedictine Abbey, and a guest house.