Book: Churchyard and Cemetery: Tradition and Modernity in Rural North Yorkshire

Churchyard and Cemetery
By Julie Rugg, Manchester University Press, 2013
This book explores for the first time the turbulent social history of churchyards and cemeteries over the last 150 years. Using sites from across rural North Yorkshire, the text examines the workings of the Burial Acts, and discloses the ways in which religious politics framed burial management. It presents an alternative history of burial which questions notions of tradition and modernity, and challenges long-standing assumptions about changing attitudes towards mortality in England.

This study diverges from the long-standing tendency to regard the churchyard as inherently 'traditional' and the cemetery as essentially 'modern'. Since 1850, both types of site have been subject to the influence of new expectations that burial space would guarantee family burial and the opportunity for formal commemoration. Although the population in central North Yorkshire declined, demand for burial space rose, meaning that many dozens of churchyards were extended, and forty new cemeteries were laid out.




*Source: Google Books

Santa Mariña Cemetery (Cambados, Spain)

Santa Mariña Cemetery (Cambados, Spain)
In 2014, the Ruins of Santa Mariña de Dozo were chosen as the third most important funerary monument in Spain.

About Cambados

The Ruins of Santa Mariña de Dozo are located in Cambados which is known for being a true outdoor museum carved in granite. It is one of the best preserved historic areas in Galicia due to the countless stately mansions, noble streets, monuments and sculptures.

Cambados was born from the merger of three historical villages, which maintained their authenticity: 

  • Fefiñáns, with a noble character;
  • Cambados, with its beautiful squares, streets and Saint Mariña Ruins;
  • and the sailor character of Saint Tomé.
This combination makes Cambados a unique place in Galicia.

The Ruins of Santa Mariña de Dozo

The Ruins of Santa Mariña de Dozo are located in the foothills of Mount a Pastora. In the environs of an old Castro, lie the remains of the old parish church of Saint Mariña, Cambados patroness. On a XII century Romanesque chapel, feudal lord Lope Sánchez de Ulloa built the church of Saint Mariña Dozo, restored and enlarged by his daughter María de Ulloa in the late XV century.

Sailor Gothic style and Renaissance features are also presented. The church comprises a single nave divided by four transverse Romanesque arches, five side chapels, sacristy and chapel. Inside, it should be noted, the decoration with balls on the arches and chapels. In one of these arces is represented one of the seven deadly sins, "laziness". In the chapels highlights embossed iconographies with Biblical scenes, such as visitation, Christ and the apostles, the expulsion from paradise or the deadly sins.

The church of Saint Mariña Dozo was abandoned for political and religious reasons in the XIX century, moving the parish church to the church of the former convent of Saint Francisco. Finally, it was used as a parish cemetery. Its remains were declared a National Monument in 1943 and nowadays home to "the world's most melancholic cemetery" in the words of Galician writer Alvaro Cunqueiro, big fan of the town.

Address

36630 Cambados,
Pontevedra,
Spain

Contacts

Phone: (+34) 986 520 786
Web: www.cambados.es
E-mail: turismo@cambados.es