This church
is a magnificent building tucked away amongst the streets of Oviedo. It’s not
on a prominent square and there are no signs to tell you where to find it.
Usually I don’t blog about churches as I’m not religious although I still
appreciate the art of the architecture or the decoration of the building. This
church however holds a special interest for me: this is where Franco got
married.
I am
fascinated by the Spanish Civil War and Franco as his regime ended quite
recently (he died in 1975) therefore people still remember everything of that
era. In Barcelona you cannot avoid learning about it as the bombing of the city
and the oppression of the Catalan culture and tradition is related to Franco’s
name. Here in Asturias people see history from a different angle.
Carmen Polo,
Franco’s wife grew up in Oviedo and his family was living on Calle Uría, where
only the wealthiest merchants owned a house. The Church of San Juan el Real was
Carmen’s family church, that’s why they had the marriage there.
The wedding
became famous for being postponed as Franco got promoted and his ambition was
too great to let this opportunity go. As he was the country’s most decorated
soldier he got a 40 day long leave in October and a royal permission to marry.
His best man was King Alfonso XIII.
Well, let’s
have a look at this church.
The church can be found on Calle Campoamor, 1.
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