2014/03/25

Madrid to Put Up Monument to Participant in Assault on Barcelona





Admiral Blas de Lezo participated in the bombardment of Barcelona by Spanish Bourbon troops during the siege of Barcelona in 1714.

Madrid City Council, headed by ruling Popular Party (PP) mayor, Ana Botella, intends to put up a monument to pay homage to Spanish admiral Blas de Lezo Olavarriet. Blas de Lezo participated in several battles and bombardments led by Bourbon troops on Barcelona during the War of Spanish Succession. It was on 11 September 1714 that he was wounded by a musket shot that left him with one arm.

In an article published by Madrid newspaper ABC last 20 October, mayor Ana Botella assured the daily that Blas de Lezo deserves this recognition for being “one of the most extraordinary sailors in our history”. After describing his career as “admirable”, she asserted that “a great nation like Spain should never forget the great figures of its history”.

Homage at the Spanish Congress

Last December, both the PP and the Spanish chauvinist Union, Progress and Democracy party preceded Madrid by approving a resolution in the Spanish Congress that praised this Bourbon hero. The spokesperson of the PP, Juan de Dios Ruano Gómez, appealed to Blas de Lezo’s “valour, ingenuity, and tenacity” during a meeting of the Defence Committee of the Spanish Congress, in order to raise his image.

Campaign by the Francisco Franco Foundation

The decision by the Madrid City Council was taken after a campaign started by the Francisco Franco Foundation about a year ago, with the title “For a monument to Blas de Lezo”. The campaign petitioned Ana Botella to recognize Blas de Lezo “so that our children might remember this person who served Spain so well”.


Albert Ribas, El Singular Digital


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