A statue of the Immaculate Conception was found shattered outside a school in Los Palacios just hours before the town’s major religious celebration.
In the early morning of August 3, 2024, garbage collectors in Los Palacios y Villafranca, Seville, discovered the sandstone pilaster and statue of the Immaculate Conception demolished in the square of the Nuestra Señora de las Nieves school. The image, created in 2006 by sculptor Juan Manuel Martín, appeared to have been deliberately toppled.
Local police suspect hooliganism and are investigating, though no witnesses have come forward. The incident occurred just before the feast day of the town’s patron saint, the Virgen de las Nieves. Mayor Juan Manuel Valle assured the school and parish that the statue would be replaced and emphasized the cultural and religious importance of the monument.