Monument to Primo de Rivera (Jerez)


The monument to Primo de Rivera is an instance of public art in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. It consists of a bronze equestrian statue of Miguel Primo de Rivera, on top of a sculptural ensemble placed inside a fountain. It lies at the centre of the.

History and description

The monument was proposed in December 1923 by municipal councillor Antonio Montilla Rivero after the, and the proposal was unanimously accepted. The managing committee of the monument was appointed in 1925. The monument was funded via popular subscription. The design of the monument was awarded to Mariano Benlliure.
Building works started on 2 October 1928. Benlliure reportedly used a horse from the regiment of Hussars of La Princesa as model for the equine figure.
The front side of the pedestal features a coat of arms of Spain and an inscription reading: .
A winged Victory emerges ahead of the front side of the pedestal, grabbing a laurel branch with her right hand and a Pickelhaube general's helmet with her left arm. Both lateral sides of the pedestal feature sculptural compositions. The right-hand one, with the inscription, consists of a meeting of generals around Primo de Rivera, also attended by Sanjurjo, Despujols, Fernández Pérez, Saro and Admiral Guerra. The left-hand side of the pedestal features an sculptural ensemble with five moors working the land with two oxen, reading .
The backside of the monument incorporates an allegory of Peace or Plentifulness, holding cereal spikes, with two cornucopias at her feet, as well as a bronze relief consisting of an effigy of Miguel's brother Fernando—fallen in Monte Arruit in 1921—put inside a medallion bordered by laurel wreaths, with an inscription below reading .
It was unveiled on 29 September 1929, during a ceremony attended by the dictator himself.
Pigeons use to deposit their droppings mercilessly on the monument.