The choir of the Valley of the Fallen is declared an Asset of Cultural Interest

The regional government of Madrid (Spain) has announced that it will declare the choirs promoted by the Benedictines in the Valley of the Fallen and the Augustinians in El Escorial as Assets of Cultural Interest.

This protection, which is awarded in the category of Intangible Heritage, is carried out “to recognize these two choral formations that, over time, have been responsible for preserving the oral tradition and have played a fundamental role in the development of their communities. religious, as has been spread the Community of Madrid.

The choir of the Monastery of El Escorial It was founded in 1567 by Emperor Philip II, four years after work began on the monastery dedicated to San Lorenzo in the mountains near the capital of Spain. Currently, there are 45 children between the ages of 9 and 18 whose musical training is specialized in Renaissance religious polyphony.

On the other hand, the choir of the Abbey of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen It was founded in 1958 by Benedictine fathers and has 40 children between 8 and 16 years old. Its repertoire ranges from medieval monody, especially Gregorian and Hispano-Mozarabic chant, to sacred and profane polyphony from different eras in the history of music.

The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid, Mariano de Paco, has expressed that the decision has been made “due to its importance in our culture and intangible heritage” and has urged the Government of Spain to “exercise its responsibilities and powers” ​​since “it is concerned about the monumental heritage of the Valley of the Fallen,” according to Europa Press.

Importance of the decision for the future of the Valley of the Fallen

These statements by the counselor clash with the refusal of the regional Executive to extend the declaration of Asset of Cultural Interest to the entire monumental complex of the Valley of the Fallen, based on the fact that it is part of National Heritage.

In fact, this cultural protection limited to the choir will not be an obstacle to the National Government’s plans to expel the Benedictine community from the place and give new meaning to the monumental complex.

Recently, the Archbishop of Valladolid, Mons. Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, has rejected the Government’s plans by pointing out that “it is the Church that must say who takes care of the basilica.”

On the other hand, since 2017 the Government has eliminated the amounts allocated to the maintenance of the monumental complex, with the intention of seeking the deterioration of the place as reported to the Christian Lawyers Foundation.

On the Facebook page of the Association for the Defense of the Valley of the Fallensome members and supporters have been suspicious of the partial protection granted by the regional government of Madrid in the face of the plans of the national Executive, even more so when the 50th anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco approaches in 2025, the date on which the Government intends to consummate the expulsion of the Benedictine monks, according to The Debate.

What is the Valley of the Fallen

The Valley of the Fallen is a monumental complex whose construction was promoted by the Government of Spain in 1957 as “a place of prayer and study where, at the same time, suffrages are offered for the souls of those who gave their lives for their Faith and for their country, Catholic social doctrine is studied and disseminated.”

As detailed in the Decree-Law that ordered its implementation, the enormous cross that was projected (the highest in Christianity) symbolizes “the sacred duty of honoring our heroes and our martyrs must always be accompanied by the feeling of forgiveness that the evangelical message imposes. This must be, consequently, the Monument to all the Fallen, over whose sacrifice the pacifying arms of the Cross triumph.”

In 1958 the first community of Benedictine monks arrived. Between 35,000 and 50,000 combatants from both sides of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) are buried in the underground Basilica, some of whom are unidentified.

The Monumental Complex of the Valley of the Fallen is made up of the Basilica, the Benedictine Abbey, an Inn and the Escolania. The church was elevated to the status of Minor Basilica in 1960 by Pope John XXIII.

When Francisco Franco died, it was King Juan Carlos who decided to have him buried in the place, where the remains of the founder of the Spanish Falange José Antonio Primo de Rivera also rested.

In 2007, the Historical Memory Law promoted by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero prohibited any act of a political nature in the place. In 2018, President Pedro Sánchez expanded the rule to promote Franco’s exhumation, which took place in October 2019, forcing the family to bury him in a private cemetery.

The Democratic Memory Law approved in 2022 advances the intention to redefine the place, changing its official name to Valle de Cuelgamuros, giving legal support to the exhumation of the remains of Primo de Rivera (carried out in 2023) and announcing the extinction of the Foundation of the Holy Cross, subject to the approval of a royal decree that does not yet exist.