La Franja d’Aragó and Sigena: Ecclesiastical Property Disputes in Spain

Abstract

The disputes of La Franja and Sigena oppose various ecclesiastical entities as well as several Spanish regional authorities, span several centuries, and concern ecclesiastical goods of enormous cultural value. The dispute has led to numerous rulings by ecclesiastical courts and Spanish courts, including civil courts, administrative courts, and the Constitutional Court. The different proceedings are a good example of the interaction between canon law norms and state law norms, as well as of the relevance of ecclesiastical court rulings within a state legal system. The dispute also shows the sensitivity with which cultural property disputes must be dealt with for religious as well as for political reasons and why it is not wise to let internal disputes within a religious group be handled by secular authorities.