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The Valley of Cuelgamuros is a Catholic Basilica, an Abbey and Monumental Complex.
At the end of the Spanish Civil War, the dictator Francisco Franco ordered its construction (1940 and 1958), and that José Antonio Primo de Rivera and 33,833 combatants from both sides be buried there, leading it to be described as the "largest mass grave in Spain".
It is nestled in a landscape of great natural beauty, located in El Valle de Cuelgamuros in the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Community of Madrid, 9.5 km north of the Royal Monastery. Architects Pedro Muguruza and Diego Méndez participated in its design; the sculptures are by Juan de Ávalos and Taboada, among others. Atop the Risco de La Nava stands the tallest cross in Christendom, measuring 150 metres in height with arms of 24 metres each.
Upon Franco's death on 20 November 1975, his body was buried at the foot of the high altar of the basilica. On 13 September 2018, the Congress of Deputies approved the exhumation of his remains and their removal from the basilica. This exhumation took place on 24 October 2019, and the remains were transferred to the Mingorrubio cemetery.
The Valley of Cuelgamuros is a Catholic Basilica, an Abbey and Monumental Complex.