The Spanish Supreme Court on Tuesday approved the government’s plans to move the body of Spain’s former dictator Francisco Franco.
Franco has been buried in Spain’s controversial Valley of the Fallen monument since shortly after his death in 1975. The towering monument boasts the world’s largest memorial cross — three times as high as the leaning tower of Pisa — and one of the largest basilicas in the world.
“GREAT VICTORY FOR SPANISH DEMOCRACY”
The monument was constructed in part by political prisoners of the Francoist regime and is also the site of a mass grave that contains victims from both sides of the Spanish Civil War.
The Valley of the Fallen has long been a place of pilgrimage for Franco’s supporters, who often place fresh flowers on his grave.
OUTSIDE OF MADRID
Spain’s Socialist government had promised to move Franco’s remains to a more neutral site, which would not glorify the former dictator who ruled Spain for 35 years. Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling, which was unanimous, now gives the state permission to move Franco’s remains to a cemetery outside of Madrid, so he can be buried alongside his wife.
Families of the victims of Franco and left-wing politicians have expressed their enthusiasm for this historic Supreme Court decision.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called it a “great victory for Spanish democracy,” tweeting: “the determination to repair the suffering of the victims of the Francoist regime has always guided the actions of this government”.