Álvaro de Bazán (1526-1588) was the first Marquess of Santa Crus de Mudela and served as a Spanish admiral. According to sources, he was never defeated in battle. This bronze statue unveiled in 1891 shows the great man dressed in half armor. In his right hand, a general's baton and his left rests on the hilt of his sword. At the foot of the figure is a Turkish helmet, a spear topped with a crescent moon and a captured flag, alluding to the victory against the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto. Santa Cruz recognized that England represented a grave threat to Spain's empires and became a zealous advocate of war. He was the chief architect behind the famous Spanish Armada which he was to have commanded but was stuck at Lisbon when Francis Drake burnt the Spanish ships at Cádiz during his 1587 expedition. Since then, several ships of the Spanish Navy were named Álvaro de Bazán in his honor. Currently, a new class of frigates is being built and the lead ship will carry his name. [Review 12527 overall, 2317 of 2019.] read more

C.P. Don Alvaro de Bazan 13 - Álvaro de Bazán, Madrid - Madrid, M