Introduction

For more than a century, Tudela has been gathering in its streets, squares and parks a rich bequest of commemorative sculpture that, in addition to its artistic interest, contributes to define the report and collective identity of the capital and its inhabitants. There are more than twenty works that, like a book of stone and bronze, allude to historical figures and events of the city, or reflect its most deeply rooted customs, traditions and devotions. All of them weave an urban map in which, if we look at their location, we will see that most of them are located in the historic center and its immediate spaces, although there are also examples located in outer neighborhoods and even outside the urban core. 

Tudela's commemorative monument sample a great typological variety, from the standing figure to the group statuary, including the bust and the sculptural relief. As for the artists and tendencies, names such as Fructuoso Orduna, the brothers José and Carlos Buzzi, Antonio Loperena, Ricardo Varela, the Aragonese Ángel Bayod or the Oviedo-born Mauro Álvarez are inscribed in the figurative realist current. Other artists take figuration as a starting point for their works, but the final result sample the influence of various trends ranging from the geometrization of Manuel Aramendía to the organicism of José Antonio Eslava and Jesús Pérez Marín Bóregan, and the symbolism of Martina Lasry and Pedro Jordán. And there is no lack of conceptual and abstract interpretation in Tudela's commemorative sculpture either, by the hand of Manuel Clemente Ochoa.

Also from the thematic point of view, several categories can be distinguished. One of them deals with historical events (Monument to the Fueros, 1967; Monument to the Victims of the Civil War, 2006; Monument to the Victims of Terrorism, 2021). A second category is made up of figures of historical relevance, subdivided into monarchs (Sancho VII el Fuerte, Carlos III el Noble, Muza ibn Muza), figures linked to politics and social welfare (José María Méndez Vigo, Padre Lasa) and the literary and musical world (Benjamín de Tudela, José María Iribarren, Fernando Remacha).

The third category is made up of monuments of a religious nature, closely linked to popular devotion in Tudela, such as those dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Finally, a large group of monuments of Tudela takes on a sociological nature by recovering and enhancing the value of trades and types, customs and popular traditions, thus materializing the report of the riverside town. This is the case of the monuments to the Hortelano and the Hortelana, to the Jota, to the Violinist, to Popular Music and to sports and sportsmen.

In the final, Tudela expresses its identity through the commemorative monuments that embellish the city and contribute to enrich its artistic heritage, forming a polyhedral story of great value in which historicalreport , devotion, culture and tradition are given quotation . An authentic open-air museum of stone, bronze and marble that not only configures a valuable artistic heritage, but also acts as a materialized account of Tudela's identity. This has been understood by the institutions in charge of its conservation, which in recent years have carried out various restoration campaigns to preserve this rich monumental bequest and pass it on to future generations, in their commitment to the identity of Tudela and the collective report of its citizens.