The Cross and the Basilica, Madrid, Spain - stock photo

Valley of the Fallen is a Catholic basilica and a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial near Madrid, conceived by Spanish general Francisco Franco to honor and bury those who fell during the Spanish Civil War. It was claimed by Franco that the monument was meant to be a national act of atonement and reconciliation. The Valley of the Fallen, as a surviving monument of Franco rule, and its Catholic basilica remain controversial, in part since 10% of the construction workforce consisted of convicts, some of whom were Popular Front political prisonersIts cross which is the tallest in the world at 108 meters can be seen for miles, perched atop a small peak of the Guadarrama Mountains, just outside Madrid. Underneath the cross is a basilica carved into the mountain.