Campillo de Llerena military cemetery
The Campillo de Llerena military cemetery or better known as the "Italian Cemetery" is located at the intersection of the state roads EX-103 and EX-211 near Campillo de Llerena in the province of Badajoz .
In 1937, Italian and Spanish legionaries (9 Italians, 33 Spaniards and 2 unknowns) of the Fascist Brigade Frecce Azzurre (blue arrows) were buried in the military cemetery of the Spanish Civil War . The legionnaires fell from June 10, 1937 in fighting in the Sierra de Argallén . One of the tombstones was embossed:
“Leave a flower and say a prayer for the Spanish and Italian legionaries of the“ Frecce Azzurre ”brigade who heroically gave their lives for Spain and world culture. June 1, 1937, the year of triumph. "
When the fascist brigade Frecce Azzurre withdrew in July 1937, the municipality of Campillo de Llerena undertook to maintain the military cemetery. In the years from 1938 to 1939, further dead of Franco's nationalist troops were buried in the front area of the military cemetery. According to estimates by archaeologists, the remains of a hundred people lie in the cemetery who were buried in individual graves or in mass graves.
After Franco's victory over the Republicans , the Italian legionaries were reburied on March 18, 1941 in the mausoleum of San Antonio de Padua in Saragossa . Other dead were also reburied in the Valley of the Fallen ( Valle de los Caídos ), but the vast majority of the buried nationalist soldiers remained in the Campillo de Llerena military cemetery.
After a long period in which the military cemetery was abandoned to neglect, the city administration decided to preserve the memorial as Spain's historical heritage.
Web links
- youtube: Video Cementerio de los Italianos 3 Campillo de Llerena military cemetery, accessed on June 1, 2012
- Ángel Munárriz: Un cementerio turístico-fascista (Spanish) , accessed June 1, 2012
Coordinates: 38 ° 30 ′ 42 " N , 5 ° 50 ′ 34" W.