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Imagine
St Peter's Cathedral in Rome mocked up in the studios of Flash Gordon.
This is neo-classicism gone seriously comic book. The architect, Diego
Mendez (who went on to become a household name in his household) aimed
to blend potent symbols of the two pillars of Franco's doctrine :
Catholicism and military might.
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You
will see grotesque angels with swords, cowled biblical figures with
hands like Sepp Maier (with gloves on), and vast eagles built from
granite blocks (amongst a catalogue of other faux pas). Death is certainly
evoked, but at the hands of the Ming Dynasty ! And Franco himself was
anything but Flash !
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Walk
the 250m into the basilica that was chipped out of the granite by prisoners
of war (officially the world’s longest Catholic Cathedral) and
you’ll see Franco lying at rest. Above him towers an equally
bizarre and oversized granite cross (about 100 m high) that points
towards Madrid and can be seen from the city itself.
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Even
today there are apologists for Franco in Spain. Although he didn’t
get the trains to run on time, they argue he held the Spanish nation
together under the threat of political and moral fragmentation. Also,
Real Madrid won the European Cup six times under “Tio Paco”.
Judge for yourself !
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