The remains would be associated with a Republican medical center
The grave of the Hermitage of Remei, in the municipality of Flix (Ribera d’Ebre), is the largest exhumed in 2023 in Catalonia. The Department of Justice, Rights and Memory, through the General Directorate of Democratic Memory, has just made public the recovery of the skeletal remains of a total of 57 people. Given the large number of exhumations, the archaeological team has taken more than five months to carry out the excavation work, which was carried out between September last year and January 2024.
According to the archaeological findings and oral testimonies, everything points to the grave being linked to a republican field hospital located in the hermitage, as evidenced by the numerous amputations and medical treatments seen in most of the exhumed individuals. In addition, dumps of medical material have also been located which, deposited next to the bodies, contained elements such as Kramer splints, remains of plaster or different types of vials.
Historical context of the hospital
The organization and chronological scope of the operation of the hospital is closely related to the Battle of the Ebro (July 25-November 16, 1938). The first hypothesis suggests that the hospital operated in the initial moments of the crossing of the Ebro at the end of July 1938. Possibly, it was linked to the health service of the 3rd Republican Division, a unit that crossed the river through the Flix sector and served the combatants in this area. The establishment was located on the health evacuation route of the XV Army Corps, and had to evacuate the wounded along the Palma d’Ebre road to the field hospital of this corps located in La Cova de Santa Lucia de la Bisbal de Falset.
On the other hand, the second hypothesis implies that the medical equipment worked in the last phase of the Battle of the Ebro, in November 1938, in the field of health of the 35 Division, as a classification site or field hospital linked to the dependency of Mas del Senyor de Bovera.
Importance of exhumations
The recovery of the bone remains not only allows the dignified burial of the individuals, but also contributes to the scientific knowledge of the Civil War. This type of excavation provides valuable information about the daily life of soldiers and the healthcare of the time. Each excavation and scientific investigation reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the international principles of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition.
Anthropological and genetic studies
Currently, anthropological and genetic studies are being carried out on the remains with the aim of determining their identity and being able to return them to the families registered in the Census of Missing Persons and members of the Genetic Identification Program of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Accidental discovery and historical research
The pit of the Hermitage of the Remei was discovered by chance by some children in March 2013. Following this discovery, the site was sealed off and a historical investigation was started to determine the origin of the remains. Thanks to this research, the oral testimony of a resident of the town was recovered who explained that the hermitage of the Remei had served as a field hospital for the republican troops and that the soldiers who died in the hospital were buried in the bundles near the hermitage.
