The Escolanías of the Monastery of El Escorial and Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos will be recognized as Assets of Cultural Interest in their category of intangible heritage. This was revealed this Tuesday by the Minister of Culture, Mariano de Paco. The measure is taken, explained the councilor, “in the understanding of the importance they have in relation to our culture.”
In the justification for recognition, their values are highlighted, such as their ability to transmit oral traditions, or their fundamental role in religious communities.
Both choirs are composed of about 40 children each, who receive a complete academic and musical training specializing in each case in medieval polyphony or Gregorian chant.
The Escolanía del Escorial was founded by the Augustinian monks of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and that of Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos is linked to the Benedictine congregation established in the abbey of the same name. Now, the Ministry of Culture is beginning the process of recognizing these two choirs that have been responsible for preserving the oral tradition over time and have played a fundamental role in the development of their religious communities, explain sources from this department.
The Escolanía del Escorial is one of the most prestigious choral formations in Spain and was founded in 1567 by Philip II with the aim of contributing to the liturgical celebrations of the newly built monastery. Linked since then to the Augustinian order, it has become over the centuries one of the most recognized in the world. In this framework, 45 children from all the autonomous communities, aged 9 to 18, receive a complete academic and musical education, specializing in Renaissance religious polyphony.
For its part, the Escolanía de la Abadía de la Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos also enjoys great international prestige. It was created in 1958 by the Benedictine fathers and currently has 40 children aged 8 to 16. Its repertoire ranges from medieval monody, especially Gregorian and Hispano-Mozarabic chant, to sacred and secular polyphonies from different periods in the history of music.
The measure does not, however, imply any protection of the Cross, the monument to the dead of the Civil War whose construction was ordered by Francisco Franco. In this sense, Councilor De Paco clarified that “the situation in the Valley of the Fallen is the same as in recent months. We have urged the central government to exercise its responsibilities and powers and, within our sphere of power, we declare the choirs of El Escorial and Santa Cruz del Valle BIC.
The Association for the Defense of the Valley of the Fallen has asked the Community of Madrid to open a file to declare the monumental ensemble of the Valley as an Asset of Cultural Interest. But the regional government has already refused to do so on several occasions, claiming that the powers to execute this decision correspond to the State administration, based on Article 6 of Law 16/1985 of June 25 on Spanish Historical Heritage.
