Cerro de los Ángeles

The Cerro de los Ángeles (Hill of the Angels) is a hill located in Getafe, Spain, about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Madrid. The site is famous for being the geographic centre of the Iberian Peninsula.[1] On top of the hill there is a fourteenth-century monastery named Our Lady of the Angels (Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles), as well as the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Monumento al Sagrado Corazón), built in 1919 to dedicate the country and inaugurated by king Alfonso XIII.

The monument built after the Spanish Civil War encloses a church within its base.

Spanish Republicans destroyed the monument during the civil war. Bullet marks dating from the war can be seen on the Sagrado Corazón monument as well as the walls of the monastery.

After the war, the Franco government moved the remains of the monument across the esplanade and, funded by popular subscription, rebuilt a bigger version with an underground church.

In the monument resides the patron virgin of Getafe.

The slopes of the hill are populated with maritime pines as well as parks, springs, paths, a bar and soccer grounds.

From the geologic point of view, the hill has a peak altitude of 670 meters (2,200 feet) above sea level, with the base at 610 meters (2,000 feet). The area surrounding the hill is flat in all directions, making for great panoramic views of Madrid, Getafe, and the surrounding countryside.

A radio tower sits on the peak of the hill besides the monastery. The seminary for the diocese of Getafe is located by the monastery.

See also

References
  1. "Cerro de los Ángeles (Official website)" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-03-02.

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