Monument to Franco (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

Ángel de la Victoria or the Monument to Victory (Spanish: Monumento a la Victoria), popularly known as el monumento a Franco ("the Monument to Franco"),[1] is an instance of public art located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. A work by Juan de Ávalos, the monument was conceived to pay homage to Francisco Franco.

Ángel de la Victoria
Coordinates28.476406°N 16.246262°W / 28.476406; -16.246262
LocationSanta Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
DesignerJuan de Ávalos
MaterialBronze, stone
Height14 m
Opening date17 March 1966
Dedicated toFrancisco Franco

History and description

The monument is located at the crossroads of the Rambla de Santa Cruz and the avenida de Anaga.[2] The bronze sculptural group consists of a winged angel (an allegory of the Dragon Rapide, the airplane that transported Franco from the Canary Islands to the African mainland in order to kickstart the 1936 coup d'etat that marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War) and a "saviour" male figure (representing Franco) standing over the angel while wielding a sword shaped like a Christian cross that points down.[3][4][5][6]

The composition lies on the centre of a near-circular pond with a 30 m maximum diameter.[5] The backside wall partially enclosing both items reaches a maximum height of 14 m.[5]

A work by Juan de Ávalos, it was unveiled on 17 March 1966.[7]

The vandalised monument in 2020

The monument was vandalised in November 2016, covered in red paint and tagged with a graffiti reading antifascismo ("anti-fascism").[3] There is an ongoing effort to remove the monument, based on the enforcing of the Law of Historical Memory.

References
  1. "El PP del Cabildo tinerfeño se opone a la demolición del "Monumento a la Victoria" de Franco en Santa Cruz". eldiario.es. 7 June 2018.
  2. "Cuando Tenerife mostró a Franco su "adhesión" con el monumento de Juan de Ávalos". Diario de Avisos. El Español. 16 November 2017.
  3. "Vandalismo contra el antiguo monumento a Franco". Diario de Avisos. El Español. 6 November 2016.
  4. "Un informe externo encargado por Santa Cruz de Tenerife defiende el valor artístico del monumento a Franco". eldiario.es. 15 June 2018.
  5. "Una organización solicita la restauración "inmediata" de una escultura dedicada a Franco en Tenerife". eldiario.es. 7 November 2016.
  6. Jiménez, Jennifer (18 February 2018). "El monumento a Franco de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, camino de los juzgados". eldiario.es.
  7. "El monumento a Franco de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, camino de los juzgados". Diario de Avisos. El Español. 18 February 2018.
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