The Monument to the Sardana in Barcelona’s Sants-Montjuïc district is by Spanish sculptor Josep Cañas, located at plaça de la Sardana near Montjuïc castle.
It depicts eight dancers carved from Ulldecona limestone, holding hands held aloft in a circle, performing the traditional Catalan dance la sardana. In the centre, a rock from Montserrat mountain symbolises personal belongings such as bags and coats that sardanists usually dance around.
The sculpture has suffered several acts of vandalism, including the theft of one of the figures in 2002 which was replaced the same year, and the breaking of hands and arms off the statues.
The monument was erected in 1966 during the term of Barcelona mayor José María de Porcioles, at the same time that the nearby Mirador de l’Alcalde was inaugurated along with the Montjuïc Amusement Park (which closed in 1998). In a rare official Franco-era display of Catalan cultural symbols, the monument was part of the Francoist mayor’s strategy of purporting to support a moderate Catalanism and present a softer image of the regime.
An inscription reads: LA SARDANA ES LA DANÇA MES BELLA – J. Cañas, 1965, which translates to THE SARDANA IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DANCE. In 2009, a circular bronze plaque was installed, which reads: BARCELONA A LA COLLA SARDANISTA VIOLETES DEL BOSC – 25 D’ABRIL DE 2009 to honour the award-winning Barcelona sardana dance group Violetes del Bosc.
