The Monument to Daoiz and Velarde (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Monumento a Daoiz y Velarde'') is an instance of public art in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

, Spain. Designed by Aniceto Marinas, it is a memorial to Luis Daoiz y Torres and Pedro Velarde y Santillán, two Spanish

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

officers who fell fighting against the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

at the 1808

Dos de Mayo Uprising On the 2 and 3 May 1808 the Dos de Mayo or Second of May Uprising of 1808 took place in Madrid, Spain. It was a rebellion by civilians alongside some military against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a heavy-hand repress ...

, in the context of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. It is located near the Alcázar of Segovia.

History and description

The laying of the foundation stone was held on 6 May 1908, on the occasion of the festivities taking place in early May for the 100th anniversary of the Dos de Mayo uprising. Following the chronicle by , the monument can be described as follows: it occupies an area of 242 square metres in the Plaza de la Reina Victoria, in front of the Alcázar of Segovia, and it is enclosed by a fence cast in the workshops of Trubia. The first body of the pedestal lies in the centre of a wide platform with

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

steps. It supports robust mouldings on which the

frustum In geometry, a (from the Latin for "morsel"; plural: ''frusta'' or ''frustums'') is the portion of a solid (normally a pyramid or a cone) that lies between two parallel planes cutting this solid. In the case of a pyramid, the base faces are ...

emerges. The sides of the pedestal are ornamented by two large reliefs and by two plaques displaying the coats of arms of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

(Daoíz's homeland), and

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

(Velarde's homeland) and the respective commemorative inscriptions. An allegory of ''History'' lies on the steps of the pedestal; it is sculpted on

white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

, contrasting with a bronze relief depicting the

last stand A last stand is a military situation in which a body of troops holds a defensive position in the face of overwhelming and virtually insurmountable odds. Troops may make a last stand due to a sense of duty; because they are defending a tactic ...

at the Monteleón artillery barracks. The other relief shows Daoiz rallying the people of Madrid, engaged in a desperate struggle against the French troops. The allegorical figure of ''Spain'' tops off the monument, holding the dying bodies of the two artillerymen in her arms, wrapped in the national flag. In the lower part there is an eagle, clutching the rock with one of its claws, fighting to pull out the flag with the other claw. Toribio García de Andrés worked in the basement's building works. The monument was unveiled on 15 July 1910 by

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

. File:Monumento a Daoiz y Velarde 3 (26812893614) (cropped).jpg, Front side relief an allegory of ''History'' File:WLM14ES - 08072007 110625 19235 - .jpg, Sculptural group topping off the monument File:Monumento a Daoiz y Velarde (26812895344) (cropped).jpg, Back side relief

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * {{authority control Peninsular War monuments and memorials Stone sculptures in Spain Bronze sculptures in Spain Monuments and memorials in Castile and León Sculptures of men in Spain Buildings and structures in Segovia Statues of military officers Outdoor sculptures in Castile and León