Four Crosses Shattered around 16th Century Church

Case information
Incident date
Country
Spain
Place
Penagos
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Perpetrator / Motive Indicators
  • Private
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Vandalism (all)
  • Vandalism of Public Christian Symbol
Place of Incident
  • Church
Bias Indicators
  • Significance of Property/Structure/Location to religious community
Reported to Police
  • Yes
Response of Local Authorities
  • Investigated

Four of the twelve 45 cm stone crosses atop the wall surrounding the Cantabrian church of San Jorge de Penagos, were destroyed during the night of March 10th. The bulletin board of the parish was torn and a window of the sacristy was broken. The sign pointing to the parish house, 2km away from the church, was also damaged.

A neighbor claimed to have seen a group of up to six people near the place on the night the damage occurred. The mayor of the small town, José Carlos Lavín, initiated a complaint and investigation and stated that they have asked for citizen collaboration to find those responsible.

The parish, which was built between 1585 and 1589, has been considered a cultural heritage site for almost three decades.

Sources: Ayuntamiento de Penagos, El País, and El diario Cantabria

Sources