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Cementiri del Poblenou
Napoleon's soldiers completely DESTROYED this cemetery in 1813, but here's the amazing part - it came back even more beautiful! You're standing at Avinguda d'Icària in Barcelona's first cemetery ever built outside the medieval city walls way back in 1775. That's like 250 years ago - imagine your whole life times twelve! Italian architect Antonio Ginesi rebuilt this place in 1819 with two totally different sections... the front has matching burial terraces for everyone to be equal, but walk toward the back and WOW - that's where Barcelona's richest families built incredible marble sculptures and monuments that look like tiny castles! The most famous is called "The Kiss of Death" - a winged skeleton giving a gentle kiss to a young man, and movie directors say it inspired scary films! Can you spot the sculpture that's taller than a grown-up?
Did You Know?
- Poblenou Cemetery, established in 1775, was Barcelona’s first cemetery built outside the medieval city walls to address overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in churchyard graves—a pioneering move in urban public health and city planning for its time.
- The cemetery is renowned for its striking funerary art, including the famous 'Kiss of Death' sculpture by Jaume Barba, which sits atop the tomb of textile merchant Josep Llaudet Soler and has become an iconic symbol of the cemetery’s blend of Gothic romanticism and modernist artistry.
- Among its many stories is the legend of the 'Santet del Poblenou' (Little Saint of Poblenou), a young man from the neighborhood who died at age 22 and is said to have performed miracles; his humble grave still receives flowers and notes from locals seeking his intercession, making it a touching example of grassroots veneration and local folklore.