The monument to combatants, closed for cleaning and restoration on July 11, remains shut with work stalled, causing community discontent.
The collective tribute space, fenced off and without visible progress for months, is undergoing a deep restoration divided into stages. The first phase involved cleaning and stabilization, while the second, started in mid-July, includes complex structural work like casting a new bronze laurel wreath and repairing the cross.
With Armistice Day (November 11) approaching, the absence of a dignified monument for official tributes and flower-laying is seen as a serious planning oversight, given its symbolic importance for the memory of Madeiran soldiers who died in World War I.
