PANTHEON OF GENERAL PRIM

Joan Prim i Prats (Reus, 1814 – Madrid, 1870), Count of Reus, Viscount of Bruc, and Marquis of Los Castillejos, was a prominent military leader and politician who had a major influence on 19th-century Spanish politics. Among his many positions, he served as the military governor of Barcelona, a deputy in the Spanish Parliament, and President of the Council of Ministers. As a military figure, he distinguished himself in the War of Africa (1860) and as the commander of Spanish forces in Mexico (1862). Prim played a key role in the September Revolution of 1868, which deposed Queen Isabel II, and, as a staunch monarchist, helped to install Amadeo of Savoy as the King of Spain. He died on December 30, 1870, three days after being attacked in an assassination attempt.

The bronze figure of Prim, silver-plated, was sculpted by the French artist Emile Hébert (1828-1893), who also created the medallions featuring busts of historical figures such as Tiberius Gracchus, Atilius Regulus, Gaius Gracchus, and Gaius Marius. The mausoleum’s structure consists of around 150 individual pieces, fastened together by over 10,000 screws, and weighs approximately 1,800 kilograms. The long sides of the mausoleum feature reliefs depicting the Battle of Los Castillejos and Prim’s triumphant entry into Madrid at the head of Catalan volunteers after the African War.

In 1971, to mark the centenary of his death, the mausoleum was moved from Madrid to the General Cemetery of Reus. Although placed in a pavilion, it quickly began to deteriorate. In 2013, the monument was restored by the Centre for the Conservation of Moveable Heritage of Catalonia, at the initiative of the Reus City Council, with support from the Tarragona Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia.