The Monument to the Heroes of Cavite and Santiago de Cuba (

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, Cana ...

: ''Monumento a los Héroes de Cavite y Santiago de Cuba'') is an instance of public art and

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

in Cartagena, Spain. It commemorates the role of the naval squadrons commanded by

Patricio Montojo Patricio in Spanish, or Patrício in Portuguese, is a male given name equivalent to Patrick in English. The Spanish name is pronounced with the stress on the same first i as Portuguese, but an accent is not needed because this follows normal rul ...

and

Pascual Cervera Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete (18 February 1839, Medina-Sidonia, Cádiz, Spain – 3 April 1909, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain) was a prominent Spanish naval officer with the rank of '' Almirante'' (admiral) who served in a number of high positio ...

during the 1898 Spanish–American War.

History and description

Following the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the project for the erection of a monument to those Spanish soldiers participant in the previous Spanish–American War was promoted by infantry captain Francisco Anaya Ruiz in 1919. It was funded via popular subscription, including from a number of high-profile subscriptors such as King

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, Alfo ...

himself, the Captain-General

Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquess of Estella (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a dictator, aristocrat, and military officer who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during Spain's Restoration era. He deepl ...

or the Cardinal Primate of Spain Victoriano Guisasola. Once collected enough funds, the project was awarded to Julio González-Pola, and then the managing committee for the monument opted for Cartagena over

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

as location. Monument building works ended by August 1923. The monument was unveiled on 9 November 1923 during a ceremony attended by the likes of the Monarch, Primo de Rivera (then already dictator after the September 1923 coup) or the US Ambassador

Alexander Pollock Moore Alexander Pollock Moore (November 10, 1867 – February 17, 1930) was an American diplomat, editor and publisher. Biography Born in Pittsburgh on November 10, 1867, Moore was the publisher/owner of the '' Pittsburgh Leader'' when he married the s ...

, among others. It specifically came to commemorate "the heroic behavior of the Montojo and Cervera squadrons in the naval battles of Cavite and

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, which were decisive in the Spanish defeat against the United States and the loss of Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico". Standing a maximum height of 15 metres, the architectural part of the monument—made of stone—is formed by a pedestal from whose centre an obelisk emerges. A number of bronze sculptural elements are incorporated to the stone pieces, including two allegories of ''Glory'', the

coat of arms of Spain The coat of arms of Spain represents Spain and the Spanish nation, including its national sovereignty and the country's form of government, a constitutional monarchy. It appears on the flag of Spain and it is used by the Government of Spain, the Co ...

, two sculptural groups conveying respectively the ideas of 'Heroism' and '''Patria''' ("

homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

") and several ornamental items depicting artifacts or devices related to seafaring. The front and back sides of the obelisk respectively read ("To the Heroic Sailors of Cavite and Santiago de Cuba, 1898") and ("Honor to the Cervera and Montojo squadrons") while the lateral inscriptions consist of a compilation of casualties in both battles. After a positive report from the regional Service of Historical Heritage in November 2019, the procedure for the declaration of the monument as ''

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense) and inclu ...

'' was initiated in 2020. File:Monument to Spanish Navy in Cartagena - panoramio.jpg, Front side featuring the sculptural ensemble dedicated to ''Heroism'' File:Monument to the Dead of the Spanish Navy who Fought in the Guerra de Cuba and in the Phillipines - panoramio.jpg, Back side including the sculptural group dedicated to ''Patria'' File:Monument to the Dead of the Spanish Navy who Fought in the Guerra de Cuba and in the Phillipines - panoramio (1).jpg, One of the two ''Glories''

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{Cite journal, title=La escultura del 98 en Murcia: impacto de la quiebra colonial, first=José Luis, last=Melendreras Gimeno, journal=Anales de Historia Contemporánea, issn=0212-6559, volume=14, year=1998, pages=283–294, location=Murcia, publisher=

Universidad de Murcia The University of Murcia ( es, Universidad de Murcia) is the main university in Murcia, Spain. With 38,000 students, it is the largest university in the Región de Murcia. The University of Murcia is the third oldest university in Spain, after t ...

, url=https://revistas.um.es/analeshc/article/view/87601/84361 Monuments and memorials in the Region of Murcia Buildings and structures in Cartagena, Spain Outdoor sculptures in Spain Bronze sculptures in Spain Spanish–American War memorials Obelisks in Spain