It keeps the cross but no stairs

Jury of the international competition held by the government to redefine the meaning of Quilgamoros Valleyformerly known as the Valley of the Fallen, this Tuesday chose the “Pedestal and Cross” project. Winning proposalIn application of the Democratic Memory Law.

It is a plan that proposes “a new vision for the huge complex,” she highlighted Iñaki CarniceroSecretary General of Urban Agenda, Housing and Architecture at the Ministry of Housing and Chairman of the Jury.

With this transformative intention, I will demolish the stairs Which currently provides access to the basilica, and a large gallery will be built in its place that can be entered from the front or from the sides, at the front of which you will find an ocean open to the sky.

Through this you can reach the basilica or Translation Center Which will be built from scratch and where the history of Cuelgamuros will be explained, who built it, how and why they did it.

“Nature is given more importance than architecture The axial breaks He explained that this monument was very distinctive in that it produced a large shadow, a crack that facilitated encounters, and called for dialogue and a more pluralistic and more democratic vision.

The winning project was selected unanimously from among the ten finalists during the first jury meeting, which saw 34 projects participate. The exact identity of the contest winners will be revealed throughout Tuesday, as it has not yet been possible to identify them as it is an anonymous process.

he jury It is composed of members of the government, a representative of the Catholic Church and distinguished professionals, such as the Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias and the British architect David Chipperfield, who highlighted the level of all finalists and the complexity of the decision at hand, going beyond the simple terms of architecture.

The Great Cross will continue in the valley

The most obvious change that Cuelgamuros will experience with the winning project is Remove the vertical stairs This allows access to the basilica and construction in its place gallery At the foot of the temple, it resembles a large horizontal slit that runs from side to side throughout the entire enclosure square.

Outside the building The great cross will remain Of stone 150 meters high, the government never thought of demolishing it, considering it an essential element to record the origin of this great Franco monument, where the dictator Francisco Franco remained buried until 2019.

For its part, the cathedral will continue to be used for worship and there will be no major changes inside, except for the installation of some panels to give a new meaning to the place.

Work will begin in 2027

Works will begin to transform Cuelgamuros At the earliest in 2027 With a planned implementation period Four years The government will allocate 26 million euros, in addition to another four million that the winning project in the competition will receive as fees.

The aim of the competition, as the government itself explained at the time, was: Recover this pocket Architecturally and landscape-wise, turning it into a tool in the service of democratic memory and reconciliation, similar to other types of interventions, such as the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.

Currently, more than 33,000 bodies of victims from both sides of the civil war remain in the Quilgamorros Valley, making this enclave of the Madrid city of San Lorenzo de El Escorial the largest mass grave in Spain.