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The history and the historiography of religion in contemporary Spain have followed parallel trajectories throughout the second half of the 20th Century. The guiding principle of this historiographical assessment is observing the impact of context upon historiography. It highlights the close relationship between the continued presence and reappearance of the “religious issue” on the political agenda, from the angle of the fight for secularisation or “laicité”, and the historical analysis of its deep roots. After presenting the background of the religious issue prior to 1931, this article analyses a number of historiographical elements in the context of the historical evolution of the relationship between the Church and secularism, moving from confrontation and conflict (in the 1930s,) to reconciliation (1965-1980), and ultimately the conflict’s re-emergence in the 2000s.