Restoration of Costa del Sol monument that dates back to Spanish reconquest under way

The Cruz del Cordero together with the Cruz del Arrabal de San Sebastián monuments in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol, which commemorate the entry into the town of the Catholic monarchs on 3 May 1487 during the Reconquista, have both been restored.

The two monuments were part of a group of shrines that were distributed throughout the town and which had the same purpose. However, only these two remain. The Cruz del Cordero may have originally been an isolated building, but the growth of the town has meant that it is now surrounded with buildings and some are even attached to it.

The councillor responsible for the historic centre, Juan Fernández said, "It is a piece of great symbolic value and we want to guarantee that it will be in the best possible condition."

The image is deeply rooted in the history of this area of Vélez-Málaga. "The action, the result of consensus with the local residents, seeks to preserve this much-loved symbol by keeping it accessible and visible both for the neighbourhood and for the municipality as a whole," Fernández explained in a statement.

Once the restoration work has been completed, the town hall will commission a replica of the Cruz del Cordero, which will be reinstalled in the neighbourhood. The original cross will become part of the permanent collection in the old San Juan de Dios Hospital, one of the most representative cultural spaces which is now home to MUVEL, the town's museum.