Valle de los Caídos, aerial view

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. Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos -- taken from the Spanish wikipedia, es:Imagen:ValleCaidos. ... Coat of arms The Plaza de España square Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′ N 3°45′ W. Population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ... Capital Madrid Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 12th 8 028 km² 1,6% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 3rd 5 527 152 13,2% 688,48/km² Demonym  - English  - Spanish Madrilenian madrileño/a Statute of Autonomy March 1, 1983 ISO 3166-2 M Parliamentary representation  Congress seats... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... The facade of the chapel, in the baroque style of Jesuit churches, is integrated with the palatial facade El Escorial is an immense palace, monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres northwest of Madrid in the...

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". The facade of the chapel, in the baroque style of Jesuit churches, is integrated with the palatial facade El Escorial is an immense palace, monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres northwest of Madrid in the... Alternative meaning: Spanish Civil War, 1820-1823 A republican soldier seeks cover on the Plaza de Toros in Teruel, east of Madrid. ...

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. Generalísimo Francisco Franco, caudillo de España por la gracia de Dios, late in life Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo de Andrade (December 4, 1892 - November 20, 1975), abbreviated Francisco Franco Bahamonde and sometimes known as Generalísimo Francisco Franco, was dictator of Spain... For other people called Jose Rivera, see Jose Rivera José Antonio Primo de Rivera José Antonio Primo de Rivera (April 24, 1903–November 20, 1936) was the son of general Miguel Primo de Rivera, who was dictator of Spain from 1923 until 1930. ...

Entrance to the Basilica of the Valle de los Caídos

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 Valley of the Fallen Ones, Tomb of Francisco Franco and Jose Antonio, a monument erected to preserve the memory of the fascist and conservative fighters of the Civil War and to remind the visitors of the horrors of war. ... The Valley of the Fallen Ones, Tomb of Francisco Franco and Jose Antonio, a monument erected to preserve the memory of the fascist and conservative fighters of the Civil War and to remind the visitors of the horrors of war. ... Roman aqueduct in Segovia (19th Century view) Gothic Cathedral of Segovia Categories: Spain geography stubs | World Heritage Sites in Spain | Cities in Spain ...

The complex may be visited by bus leaving from the entrance to the Escorial or by car.

Palacio Real de Madrid The Spanish royal sites (sitios reales) are a set of palaces, monasteries, and convents built for and under the patronage of the Spanish monarchy. ... Spanish coat of arms; featuring the arms of Castile, León, Navarre, Aragon and Granada; with the fleur_de_lys of the Bourbons; surrounded by the Pillars of Hercules; crowned. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Palacio Real de Madrid The Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid) is the official residence of the King of Spain, located in the Spanish capital of Madrid. ... The facade of the chapel, in the baroque style of Jesuit churches, is integrated with the palatial facade El Escorial is an immense palace, monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres northwest of Madrid in the... The Palacio Real de Aranjuez is a residence of the King of Spain, one of the Spanish royal sites. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ...

External link

• Patrimonio Nacional - Abadía Benedictina de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos (http://www.patrimonionacional.es/valle/valle.htm) (in Spanish, with a photograph)