Spain has given its greatest writer Miguel de Cervantes a formal funeral, 400 years after his death, unveiling a monument housing remains believed to contain the bones of the "Don Quixote" author.
The mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella, laid a wreath today on the monument located in a Madrid monastery, as part of a ceremony held with military honors, since Cervantes was also a veteran of the Spanish army. He participated in the Spanish war against the Ottoman Empire and spent several years in captivity in Algeria.
After a nine-year search, experts found the bones of the famous writer this year in the monastery where he was originally buried.
A poet, dramatist and prose writer, Servates is considered the greatest figure in Spanish literature as the author of the first modern novel, "Don Quixote".
He died on April 23, 1616, the same day as William Shakespeare (1564-1616). That day was declared by UNESCO as International Book Day.
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