The Valley of the Fallen – Completed in 1959, the Valley of the Fallen is a Catholic basilica and memorial to those who died in the Spanish Civil War. Dictator Francisco Franco came up with the idea for the monument, which is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, near Madrid, Spain.
a fierce double-headed eagle that echoed Nazi iconography – Nazi uniforms were adorned with a patch depicting an eagle and a swastika, like the one below at left . Franco used the Eagle of St. John, symbol of John the Evangelist, as an emblem of his regime, as in the coat of arms shown below at right.
two angels of death, clutching swords shaped like crosses – These may be representations of Azrael, an angel in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, who in the Hebrew Bible is often known as the Angel of Death. Interestingly, the “Angel of Death” in the Qur’an is known as Malak Al-Mawt, from whom Mal’akh, the villain in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, takes his name.
the ballroom of Madrid’s Royal Palace – It is unclear to which room Brown refers here.
coffered ceiling – a ceiling containing a pattern of square, rectangular, or octagonal indents.
wall sconces – light fixtures attached solely to a wall whose light generally shines upward.
fire basins – large bowls designed to contain fires, often used on patios as a substitute for fireplaces or fire pits. Fire basins can use a variety of fuels, including wood, natural gas, and propane.
the anniversary of Franco’s death – Francisco Franco died on November 20, 1975.
La basílica secreta – This translates into English as “the secret basilica.”
more total square footage than St. Peter’s in Rome – St. Peter’s Basilica occupies about 240,000 square feet, ranking it among the world’s largest churches. The basilica is located in Vatican Cit and is famous for its dome, which was designed by Michelangelo.
apse – an alcove in a wall in the shape of a semicircle whose ceiling forms half of a dome.
Editor: Maja Cannavo