Christ of Monteagudo

The Christ of Monteagudo is a colossal statue of Jesus located on top of the Castle of Monteagudo, in Murcia, Spain.

Christ of Monteagudo
Cristo de Monteagudo
Coordinates38.020282°N 1.097969°W / 38.020282; -1.097969
LocationCastle of Monteagudo, Murcia, Spain
DesignerNicolás Martínez Ramón
Height14 metres (46 ft), 34 metres (112 ft) with its pedestal
Opening date28 October 1951

History and description

There was a previous statue of Jesus on top of the hill, sculpted by Anastasio Martínez Hernández and inaugurated on 31 October 1926.[1] It was demolished after an agreement voted by the Municipal Council in November 1936, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War.[2]

The second and current iteration of the sculpture was a work by Nicolás Martínez Ramón, son of Anastasio Martínez Hernández.[3] 14 metre high and put on a 20 metre plinth,[2] it stands 4 metres higher than its predecessor.[3] It was unveiled on 28 October 1951.[2]

Built on a public plot, in 2010 a requirement was filed by two lawyers before the Directorate-General of State Patrimony, dependent on the Ministry of Economy and Finance to ask for the removal of the monument as they considered a public space was being used for religious purposes, arguing that "that Christ is an intruder and an attempt against the religious freedom and the non-confessionalism of the State" and considering a "provocation" the existence of a reproduction of Jesus Christ on one of the landmarks better representing the splendour of the Islamic period of Murcia.[4][5] The requirement was eventually dismissed by the High Court of Justice of Madrid in 2015 on the basis the monument was "part of the cultural tradition of Murcia".[5]

By 2018, the monument presented a bad state of conservation, with pieces of concrete falling from the fingers of the statue and gaps in the joints of the pieces.[6]

References
  1. Soler, Pedro (10 February 2010). "El Cristo de Monteagudo: historia de un símbolo". La Verdad.
  2. Botías, Antonio (2 June 2018). "El Cristo más grande de España". La Verdad.
  3. Montes Bernárdez, Ricardo (30 July 2011). "El Cristo de Monteagudo". La Opinión de Murcia.
  4. "El Ministerio de Hacienda responde a Mazón que la retirada del Cristo de Monteagudo compete a Cultura". Europa Press. 20 April 2010.
  5. "El Cristo de Monteagudo seguirá vigilando la huerta desde su cumbre". La Opinión de Murcia. 3 March 2015.
  6. Botías, Antonio (29 April 2018). "El Cristo se cae a pedazos". La Verdad.
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