Salvador Dalí's wedding

The legendary artist Salvador Dalí and his muse Elena Diakonova, known to the world as Gala, got married twice. The first time took place in 1934 in Paris, a civil ceremony at a town hall of the 14th district. Since the Catholic Church does not allow second marriages until death do the separated spouses part, while the first husband of Gala's, Paul Éluard, was still alive and well, a church wedding was not in the picture in 1934.

Salvador Dalí back then was not a religious person so this fact most likely didn't bother him. However, as he got older, his attitudes towards the Church have evolved, and after Paul's death in 1952, he began thinking about renewing his wedding vows.

The second wedding of Salvador and Gala took place on August 8, 1958. The groom was 54, and the bride was 63. The event was organized by Dalí's close friend Francisco Vila, a parish priest from Cadaqués. He chose the Sanctuary of the Angels (Santuari dels Àngels) as the wedding ceremony venue, located 12 km away from Girona next to the village Sant Martí Vell.

The first record of the sanctuary — donation notes — dates back to the 15th century. During the War of the Spanish Succession that ended in 1714, the holy place had lost almost all of its relics, including the altar icon of Virgin Mary and rags of holy martyrs. The building itself was severely damaged too, so what we see today is the result of an extensive restoration. Despite the irrecoverable losses, the Sanctuary of the Angles remains an important spot for Catholics, while members of other faiths, atheists and agnostics visit to enjoy the local panoramic views of the province of Girona.

In theory, Salvador and Gala could have thrown an enormous party, but they regarded their second wedding as an intimate, private event and hadn't wanted neither friends, guests, nor, god forbid, journalists to be present. The wedding preparations were carried out in secret — even the chaplain of the Sanctuary, Joan Juanola, only found out the names of the bride and groom just hours before the ceremony.

The Dalí couple arrived at the ceremony in the Cadillac that is now on show in the foyer of the Dalí museum in Figueres. Gala drove. It so happened that just at the moment of the couple's arrival a group of foreign tourists was hanging out by the Sanctuary, with photo cameras at the ready, so the Dalís got suspicious and refused to leave the car. With great effort, Father Joan managed to convince the bride and groom that it was a coincidence — the tourists were there to enjoy the amazing views, not to play paparazzi.

The ceremony was attended by three more people: Julio Maso, the secretary of the municipality of Sant Martí Vell, and two priests, Josep Paul Arau and Josep Calzada Oliveras. After the wedding was over, the newlyweds took off for Girona to pay a visit to the bishop of the diocese and then have lunch at a local restaurant. The world learned of the wedding ceremony of Salvador and Gala Dalí only four days later.