José Antonio Primo de Rivera was a Spanish politician and founder of the Falange movement. His remains currently lie at a giant mausoleum created by the former fascist regime outside Madrid. Primo de Rivera played a key role in General Francisco Franco’s uprising, which triggered the 1936-1939 Spanish civil war.
As part of the Spanish government’s drive against symbols of fascism, Primo de Rivera’s body is set to be moved from its current location to Madrid’s San Isidro cemetery. His grave currently lies next to the altar at a basilica in the Valley of the Fallen, which was the Franco mausoleum now renamed Cuelgamuros Valley. In 2019, Franco’s remains were removed from the same location, which angered far-right activists who still cherish his memory.
The basilica stands by a rock face topped by a giant cross, which is a landmark that dominates the surrounding landscape. Anti-fascist Republican prisoners were forced to build the memorial. The Spanish government has decided to convert the mausoleum site into a memorial honoring all victims of the war, not just the fascists. Many leftist Republican victims were buried in unmarked mass graves, and many relatives are still trying to locate them.
The reburial of Primo de Rivera is part of the left-wing government’s effort to put an end to the veneration of the fascist civil war victory or the Franco dictatorship. Primo de Rivera will be reburied near the graves of several of his family members. He was executed by a Republican firing squad in November 1936 in Alicante. Primo de Rivera was the son of dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera, who governed Spain from 1923-1930.
