The cemetery was established in 1842 and represents the historical and cultural testimony of the English community in Bagni di Lucca.
About the cemetery
In 1840, Mr. Henry and Mrs. Elizabeth Stisted obtained permission by the Prince of Lucca, Carlo Lodovico di Borbone Parma, to build a Church and a Cemetery of Anglican rite for the British community resident in Bagni di Lucca.
This small cemetery opened in 1842. It was divided into 46 spaces of first class, 260 of second class and 84 of third class. For children were projected 25 spaces of second class and 12 of third. The original plan is still quite recognizable in its essential forms. Immediately after the gate of entrance a short flight of steps leads to the central path, that slightly uphill, reaches the Chapel for the funerals. About at two thirds of the way to the chapel another path crosses the middle one to form a Christian cross. The semicircular paths that started from the height of the stairs are no longer visible. They connected to the paths which went through the walls, and from which started little paths to access to individual graves.
There are 139 people buried in the cemetery whose names can all be obtained from documents now preserved in the Historical Archives of the Municipality, but some also from the tombstones. Many graves are no longer visible. Not all those who are buried here died in Bagni di Lucca but were buried here or for their expressed will or on the recommendation of relatives or friends. This shows that the English community of Bagni di Lucca, with its church and its cemetery of Anglican cult, was a sure reference for the English who lived in nearby towns such as Lucca, Pisa, Livorno, but also in Rome and abroad. Among them there are scientists, men of letters, musicians, doctors, priests, chaplains, botanists, entomologists, and professors. In addition to the English, Poles, Russians, Swedes, French, and Americans are also buried here. The latest burial dates back to 1953, the year of final closure of the cemetery.
The Anglican Cemetery of Bagni di Lucca was abandoned for many years, but since 2012, significant interventions have been made to restore dignity to this place rich in historical and artistic memories. Today, the cemetery is under the constraint of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 42/2004 -New Cultural Heritage Code. The Church, an austere building by architect Giuseppe Pardini from Lucca, now houses the Municipal Library and is a cultural centre.
Events and activities at the cemetery
Each year, at the end of the renovation programmed for that period, usually in the first week of
September, the restored monuments are presented to the public as part of a special day that
takes place in the cemetery. On the occasion and to accompany the ceremony itself, a small
musical concert is held in the cemetery. Over the years, string
quartets, ensembles of cellos, saxophones, accordion and brass quintets and choirs have taken
turns.
Bagni di Lucca, today as in the past, is also a popular destination for national and international tourism. Italian and foreign visitors are attracted by
the beauty of the landscape, but also, and perhaps above all, by the fame that its thermal
springs have enjoyed since the 12th century. Illustrious personalities of European culture have
visited this valley and left traces of their impressions in their poetic works and diaries. First and
foremost, the great French thinker Michel de Montaigne, who spent 75 days here in the summer
of 1581 in attempt to cure the kidney stones from which he was afflicted. He left a record of
his stay in his travel diary. Today, foreign tourists follow in the footsteps of their compatriots.
