Poblenou Cemetery

Barcelona · Spain · Cemetery

Poblenou Cemetery — Barcelona · Spain · Cemetery

At the Santet's niche, queueing Barcelonans leave written prayers to a dead 22-year-old – and exit to the right without looking back, while the Kiss of Death keeps watch further in.

Poblenou cemetery is Barcelona's oldest, and its best-loved dead man is Francesc Canals i Ambrós – 'el Santet' – a kind-hearted young clerk from the El Siglo department store who died in 1899, aged only 22. Rumours of miracles gathered at his grave, and the crowds grew so large that in 1908 the city moved him to a larger niche fronted with glass. To this day, visitors queue to slip papers with prayers through the gap, recite their plea, and then leave to the right without turning around – the ritual demands it. Deeper into the cemetery waits a different kind of vigil: 'El Petó de la Mort' of 1930, the marble sculpture of a winged Death kissing a dying youth on the brow. Night watchmen are said to avoid its gaze.

FAQ

Where is Poblenou Cemetery located?

Poblenou Cemetery is in Barcelona, Spain.

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Image: Enfo · CC BY-SA 3.0 es · Wikimedia Commons