First mass in the church of Sant Pere after the war, in 1939. You can see the condition of the church after the fire and its subsequent demolition in 1936. (ACAE)
[To protect the properties] “[…] I made some notices that said ‘This building has been seized [sic] by the Mayor’s Office. Respect it, it belongs to the people.” The occupation, in effect, prevented new fires.”
Alexandre Deulofeu, first deputy mayor of Figueres on 21 July 1936 (Memories of the revolution, of the war and the exile)
One of the consequences of the coup d’état of July 1936 was the outbreak of a revolutionary process. The intervention of armed workers led by anarcho-syndicalists was decisive in fighting the coup plotters, and the CNT-FAI became the authority in the face of the institutions being overwhelmed.
The government of the Generalitat created the Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias of Catalonia (CCMAC), in an attempt to lead the armed effort against the coup plotters, but there was a nine-week period of revolutionary violence.
On 20 July, armed militiamen arrived in Figueres and the first list of people to be arrested was drawn up. The next day, the last mass was celebrated in the church of Sant Pere, interrupted by militiamen who set the temple on fire. The fire lasted three days and firefighters were only able to prevent it from spreading. The task of cleaning up the fire involved arrests, executions, escapes and exiles
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