Santa Cruz Masonic Temple Designated 'Place of Democratic Memory'

This Friday, the Official State Gazette announced the start of a process to name the Masonic Temple in Santa Cruz de Tenerife a 'Place of Democratic Memory'. The temple recently underwent a renovation costing over three million euros.

This special national recognition is given to places that hold significant historical importance. Such places are those "where serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity occurred, having faced systematic persecution by the Franco regime from the very beginning of the July 1936 coup."

In addition, Ángel Víctor Torres, the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, signed an agreement. This agreement aims to coordinate and boost activities, and to start efforts to recover items stolen during the Franco regime.

Torres spoke at the event, emphasizing that recognizing this temple – the first purpose-built Masonic temple in Spain – is an act of justice and repair. He explained that for decades, it was "a symbol of tolerance and modern ideas, a place for community life, secular learning, critical thought, and social engagement." However, after the 1936 coup, it was taken over, stripped of its original purpose, and turned into a site for propaganda, interrogations, repression, and torture.

The minister believes that restoring the temple as an educational space is "crucial for understanding Francoist repression and how freedom of thought was suppressed." He added that the recognition process, which began this Friday, "goes beyond Freemasonry. It also honors all victims in the Canary Islands of the military coup, the war, and the dictatorship, in a region where repression was especially severe even though there were no war fronts."

This new recognition joins another for the Tefía Penitentiary Agricultural Colony in Fuerteventura, which symbolizes the repression faced by the LGTBI+ community during the dictatorship.

Bermúdez stated that "today, Santa Cruz takes another significant step forward, towards memory, dignity, and democratic coexistence, which are increasingly vital in these challenging times." He added that this step is being taken "in this unique temple, which was silent for years but now speaks loudly again, shedding light on a crucial part of our shared history."

Bermúdez explained that "the Masonic Temple is more than just a building." He called it "an architectural and symbolic gem that once again shines in the city's heart." Since reopening, over 6,000 people have visited, showing a clear interest in the city's heritage and history.

When asked about the seeming conflict between naming the Masonic Temple a 'Place of Democratic Memory' and the difficulties in removing the 'Monument to Franco' elsewhere in the capital, he replied that he has "never" resisted. Instead, he has simply "demanded" that the Canarian law on democratic memory, which was unanimously approved by the Parliament of the Canary Islands, be followed.

He stated, "I believe the law should be applied exactly as it's written. Based on past court decisions, I feel the law wasn't applied as it should have been. All I ask is for the law to be enforced; I have no doubt about what that monument stands for."

The planned actions include: furthering the study, preservation, and sharing of archives from Masonic lodges in the Canary Islands; setting up ways for different government bodies to work together to access national historical documents; and promoting educational, cultural, and scientific events. These events will highlight the enlightened, humanist, and democratic values of Freemasonry, and shed light on the persecution it endured during the dictatorship.

The agreement also paves the way for future specific collaborations on cultural, exhibition, and educational projects. For example, a permanent photo exhibition about Freemasonry in the Canary Islands, funded by the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, is planned for the coming weeks.

Both Torres and Bermúdez confirmed that efforts are being made to get back items stolen from the temple, which are currently held in the Salamanca archive. However, the minister cautioned that this process would be long and complicated.

The mayor stated, "We have requested these items. There are several documents, and even some physical objects like a lodge banner, which we believe should be part of this center's collection for interpreting Freemasonry here in Santa Cruz." He also praised the ministry for being "proactive" in searching for these items.

Bermúdez concluded, "There can be no true democratic memory if Santa Cruz doesn't recover the Masonic items that originated, were built, and created here."