Cementiri del Poblenou – Barcelona’s Eastern Cemetery & Kiss of Death

About Poblenou Cemetery

The Poblenou Cemetery, Cementiri del Poblenou is also known as the Old or Eastern Cemetery due to its age and location at the time of construction to the east of the old city medieval walls next to the sea. Today it is part of Barcelona city.

The cemetery can be divided into two parts, the original 18th century cemetery which is the first part you will see when walking into the cemetery. The expansion of the cemetery occurred in the 19th century and houses many grand tombs and mausoleums constructed by the most affluent families of the Barcelona. This part contains many of the most artistic sculptures and is the burial place for many of Barcelona's great architects.

Poblenou Cemetery, Cementiri del Poblenou, is one of Barcelona’s most historic burial grounds and is often referred to as the Eastern Cemetery. When it was first built, this area lay outside the medieval city walls and close to the sea, far from the crowded parish graveyards of old Barcelona. Today, the cemetery sits within the modern Poblenou neighbourhood but still preserves its quiet, contemplative character.

The cemetery is divided into two distinct zones. The first section, dating from the late 18th century, is the original layout visitors encounter upon entering. Behind it lies the grand 19th‑century extension, created during a period of economic growth when Barcelona’s wealthiest families commissioned elaborate tombs and mausoleums. This area contains some of the city’s most impressive funerary sculptures and is the resting place of several renowned Catalan architects, artists and intellectuals.

Among the more modest graves are those that reflect local stories and traditions. One of the best‑known is the tomb of the santet — the “little saint of Poblenou” — a young man who died at 22 and is still honoured with flowers for the kindness he showed during his life. The cemetery also contains distinctive Roma (gypsy) tombs, often featuring strikingly realistic sculptures, including a gentleman portrayed with elegant clothing and a packet of cigarettes in his pocket.

The most famous statue in the cemetery is the haunting Kiss of Death, Petó de la Mort, created in 1930 by sculptor Jaume Barba. This powerful sculpture depicts a winged skeleton delivering a kiss to a young man at the moment of death. It crowns the tomb of textile merchant Josep Llaudet Soler and includes a verse by the Catalan poet Jacint Verdaguer. Today, it is one of the most photographed and symbolically rich funerary sculptures in Barcelona.

Poblenou Cemetery History

• 1775: Poblenou Cemetery becomes the first burial ground built outside Barcelona’s medieval walls. It was created to relieve the overcrowded parish graveyards within the old city.
• 1808: The cemetery struggles to gain acceptance among locals, who considered it too far from the city centre — around 3 km from medieval Barcelona and isolated by its coastal location.
• 1817: During the Peninsular War, the cemetery is destroyed when Barcelona falls to Napoleonic forces.
• 1819: The cemetery is rebuilt and expanded following neoclassical designs by Italian architect Antonio Ginesi (1789–1824). His plan introduces the two intersecting main avenues, the chapel, the porticoed entrance, and the monument dedicated to the victims of the 1821 yellow fever epidemic.
• 1819, April 15: The newly rebuilt cemetery is officially blessed by Bishop Pau Sitjar.
• 1849–1852: Architect Joan Nolla oversees a major enlargement behind the chapel. This new zone — known as the Eclectic Department — features 120 chapel‑style niches, monumental tombs, and mausoleums commissioned by Barcelona’s wealthiest families, many of whom made their fortunes in Cuba.
• 1866: The portico entrance is crowned with a sculpted angel blowing the trumpet of the Last Judgement, created by Agapit Vallmitjana Barbany.
• 1888: Two gate obelisks are added, each topped with sculptures symbolising faith and hope by sculptor Francisco Pagès Serratosa.

Image Gallery For Poblenou Cemetery

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Poblenou Cemetery Summary of Prices

Map for Poblenou Cemetery