LA CÁRCEL DE MUJERES DE VENTAS
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This women's prison was founded by Victoria Kent, a former student of the Residencia de las Señoritas.
The area around Plaza de Torros las Ventas is steeped in feminine history. Between calle Marqués de Mondéjar and calle Rufino Blanco lie the remains of the "Cárcel de mujeres de Ventas", founded in 1933 by Victoria Kent, a former student of the "Residencia de las Señoritas", who went on to become director general of the penitentiary centers. Nicknamed the "model prison", it is a penitentiary specifically dedicated to women and their specific needs. Until now, women prisoners in the region were mainly held in two institutions, also known as "galeras", in Segovia and Madrid. These institutions were both penal and religious. Prisoners were subjected to a rigorous Catholic routine, for the purposes of "correctionalization and moralization". The las Ventas prison, where efforts were made to improve conditions for women, was avant-garde and the first of its kind in Spain. It closed its doors in 1969. During Franco's regime, these prisons became infamous. In August 1939, thirteen women were shot here, having been sentenced to death for their resistance actions against Franco's regime. Within the prison, they were, like thousands of other prisoners, victims of abuse and torture. The so-called "Thirteen Roses" became a symbol of resistance against Franco's oppression, as well as immense female icons.
