User:Andyclayharris/Tallest Cross in the United States

There are several gigantic cross monuments that have been built in the past century. The Monumento Nacional de Santa Cruz (National Monument of the Holy Cross), at 500 feet high, is purported to be the tallest cross in the world. Located at Cuelgamuros in the Guadarrama Valley near Madrid, Spain, it was built under order of Generalissimo Francisco Franco to honor the people killed in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumento_Nacional_de_Santa_Cruz_del_Valle_de_los_Caidos

The tallest freestanding cross in the United States is located in St. Augustine, FL and stands 208 feet high. http://www.missionandshrine.org/great_cross.htm. The plaque at the base of the cross says that it "marks the approximate site where in 1565 the cross of Christianity was first permanently planted in what is now the United States." "The Great Cross" (as it's known) was erected in 1966 to mark the 400th anniversary of that momentous day. It's built of 70 tons of stainless steel plates, packed with concrete in its lower third to prevent toppling by hurricanes. It's part of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, and its height was designed so that everyone near St. Augustine could see it, and be reminded "of the religious beginning of our nation," according to the plaque. The Great Cross is illuminated by powerful spotlights at night, eliminating the need for a blinking red light on top, a secular law that has reportedly kept all subsequent tall crosses, mindful of their dignity, under 200 feet.

Other freestanding crosses of notable height built since the 200 foot height restriction was imposed:

199 foot cross in Bossier City, Louisiana. http://www.crossonthehill.com. This is the tallest cross west of the Mississippi River. 199 foot cross in Orlando, Florida. http://www.headricks.com/docs/OrlandoCrossArticle.pdf 198 foot cross in Effingham, Illinois. http://www.crossusa.org/ 190 foot cross in Groom, Texas. http://www.crossministries.net/