Funerary architecture, collective memory of Barcelona
If there is a place in Barcelona unknown to most, yet in plain sight for everyone, it is the cemetery. Or rather, the cemeteries, as there are nine burial grounds scattered throughout our city, hidden behind green cypress walls, to distance us from our final destination.
For reasons of health and hygiene, throughout the 18th century, the practice of burying the dead next to churches was abandoned, and new cemeteries were constructed on the outskirts of the city. In Barcelona, the first of these was Poblenou Cemetery, opened in 1775 and reopened in 1819 after being destroyed by Napoleonic troops during the War of Independence. It was followed decades later by Montjuïc Cemetery (1883), built by the municipal architect Leandro Albareda. Finally, the growth of the city throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and the annexation of the surrounding towns meant that these two cemeteries and others such as those of Sarrià, Les Corts, Horta, Sants, Sant Andreu, or Sant Gervasi were integrated and camouflaged into the urban fabric of Barcelona.
It was during that period that our city saw the emergence of a bourgeoisie composed of wealthy industrialists, merchants, and textile sector entrepreneurs who endowed Barcelona with an incalculable architectural heritage, making it their main legacy. Such sumptuousness and pomp also eventually extended to their final resting places. They died as they lived, in grandeur. That is why they began to erect large mausoleums, some with chapels included, and grand marble sculptures to demonstrate the greatness they had in life.
Fortunately, this architectural legacy still survives and can be enjoyed through a series of cultural routes organized by Cementiris de Barcelona. This is not an isolated case, as in the European context there is the so-called European Cemeteries Route, consisting of a network of monumental necropolises across the continent. Among all the routes, those taking place in the Montjuïc cemetery stand out, considered a true open-air museum due to the number of architectural monuments it gathers. Among its mausoleums and pantheons, we can observe a legion of angels sculpted in marble facing death and offering hope to those who rest there. Works by the great masters of the time can also be seen: Albareda himself, Puig i Cadafalch, Domènech i Montaner or Josep Vilaseca, among others.
The route also serves to explore the different artistic styles that emerged in Barcelona between the Universal Exhibition of 1888 and the outbreak of war in 1936, ranging from Modernism to Noucentisme, including Realism and Eclecticism. In addition to the artistic route, there is also the possibility of recovering the historical memory of the city, through the graves of the great personalities of Barcelona at that time, of significant political, social, and cultural meaning.
Exceptionally, the cemetery can also be visited at night, coinciding with the beginning of spring, in a theatrical tour where the great men of that Barcelona welcome us to explain how they lived. A similar route, also nocturnal, takes place in the Poblenou cemetery on the occasion of All Saints' Day, where you can review the history of 19th century Barcelona through the different pantheons and the celebrities buried there. Or even enjoy a live performance of the Don Juan Tenorio.
The latest necropolis to offer its own route has been Les Corts, with its modernist style, where great footballers from Fútbol Club Barcelona such as Alcántara, Samitier, César, Basora, Kubala, or the goalkeeper Urruti rest. In addition to its graves, the mausoleum of the Soldiers also arouses great interest, built by Pere Falcara, the author of the streetlamp-benches on Paseo de Gracia, and dedicated to the 728 soldiers who departed from the port of Barcelona and perished in the wars of Cuba and the Philippines.
Whether it's for football, history, or art, the cemeteries of Barcelona are places brimming with stories and a testament to lives that treasure the collective memory of our city. So let's go and enjoy them now while we can. Later it will be too late.
