Angel of Victory (Valdepeñas)

Angel of Victory and Peace
Ángel de la Victoria y de la Paz
Angel of Victory as in 2022
Map
38°47′34″N 3°23′16″W / 38.792892°N 3.387692°W / 38.792892; -3.387692
LocationCerro de las Aguzaderas, Valdepeñas, Spain
DesignerJuan de Ávalos
MaterialStone, metal
Height25 m (stone bundles)
15 m (statue)
Opening date1964
Dedicated toThose who fell fighting for the Rebel faction in the Spanish Civil War
Dismantled dateLargely destroyed on 18 July 1976

The Angel of Victory and Peace (Spanish: Ángel de la Victoria y de la Paz) or Angel of Victory, also referred to by some as Ángel del Fascismo ("Angel of Fascism"),[1] is a ruined monument in Valdepeñas, Spain. It was a Francoist memorial designed by Juan de Ávalos that consisted of a colossal statue of an angel holding a sword. The monument was made of a reinforced stone sided by two poles. It was partially destroyed in 1976.[2]

History and description

The Provincial Deputation of Ciudad Real commissioned the project to build the monument and awarded it to Juan de Ávalos.[3] The site chosen for the erection of the monument is located two kilometres away from the city of Valdepeñas[4] in the province of Ciudad Real. It stands at the top of a hill, the Cerro de las Aguzaderas, visible from the Manchegan plain and the Madrid–Cádiz national road (currently superseded by the A-4 highway).[5]

Unveiled in 1964,[1] the sculpture consisted of a 15-metre high angel holding a blade-like cross sided by two 25-metre high stone stakes.[5] The plaque reads "la provincia de ciudad real, como homenaje de gratitud en recuerdo de sus mártires. 1936-1964" ("the province of Ciudad Real, as a tribute of gratitude in memory of its martyrs. 1936–1964").[5] It served as memorial to the Rebel (Francoist) faction in the Spanish Civil War.[6]

In the early morning of 18 July 1976, during a series of attacks carried out by GRAPO around Spain, an explosive device was detonated in the monument.[6] The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the aforementioned group.[7] The stone pieces of the angel were destroyed with only the inner metal framework remaining.[1] Pieces of the monument were recovered about 300 metres away from the site.[4] Following the attack, far-right Fuerza Nueva organized an event of "redress" in Valdepeñas, in which Blas Piñar intervened and the Cara al Sol was sung.[4] The monument resulted in a semi ruinous and somewhat "ghostly" condition,[7] with the angel being turned into metal clutter, although the two stone bundles remain. The original plaque was also removed.[8]

References

Citations
  1. ^ a b c Torrús 2015.
  2. ^ "Viajes a ninguna parte: El Ángel de la Muerte de Valdepeñas | Noudiari.es". www.noudiari.es. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  3. ^ Almarcha Núñez-Herrador & Villena Espinosa 2017, p. 174.
  4. ^ a b c "Apuntes para la historia de un semestre". Veinte mil kilómetros cuadrados. Ciudad Real: Diputación Provincial de Ciudad Real: 109–110. October 1976.
  5. ^ a b c Barreda Fontes 2017, p. 174.
  6. ^ a b Ruiz Panadero 2019.
  7. ^ a b Almarcha Núñez-Herrador & Villena Espinosa 2017, p. 285.
  8. ^ Almarcha Núñez-Herrador & Villena Espinosa 2019, p. 201.
Bibliography