Renewal of the Quality Seal for educational activities

Cementiris de Barcelona renewed its Quality Seal for educational activities with an Educational Project that was reviewed and approved by the Technical Secretariat of the Pedagogical Innovation Council (CIP).

Cemeteries as learning spaces

Cemeteries represent a historical and artistic legacy that is fundamental for understanding the social and cultural evolution of the populations that preceded us. At the same time, they allow us to better understand the present that surrounds us and help students develop a critical perspective on the world around them.

The social value of cemeteries lies in their representation of the collective memory that unites us as a society and in the understanding of death as a natural part of life. Likewise, aware of the link that cemeteries have with the territory that surrounds them and the people who live there, Cementiris de Barcelona collaborates with schools and districts to nurture a sense of neighbourhood belonging and respect for its heritage.

About the Educational Project

The Educational Project considers the various skills outlined in the school curriculum, aiming to provide pupils and teachers with additional tools to share knowledge and understand different situations from both the past and the present. To effectively address the needs of the curriculum, it focuses on specific competencies that Barcelona Cemeteries, as an organisation, is capable of contributing.

Firstly, the six vectors of Barcelona’s new basic education curriculum have been taken into account. These vectors are designed to foster a society that is critical, sustainable, digital, more equitable, feminist, and democratic. For this reason, three of the six vectors have been considered as the fundamental basis of the Educational Project: competency learning, gender perspective, and global awareness combined with emotional well-being.

On the other hand, the transversal competences of the new curriculum have also been taken into account, particularly civic competence, entrepreneurial competence, personal, social and learning to learn competence and digital competence. Of these, Cementiris de Barcelona's Educational Project includes citizenship competence and personal, social and learning to learn competence.

All Saints Day 2024: Cultural activities in Barcelona

For this year's All Saints Day, Cementiris de Barcelona organized unique events at city cemeteries.

First night route at Sarrià Cemetery

The Sarrià Cemetery night route was offered for the first time, allowing visitors to discover one of the lesser-known cemeteries in Barcelona. 

Through remarkable pantheons, participants learn about the history of the ancient town of Sarrià and its connection to Barcelona. We also learned about notable figures from the worlds of culture and science who have made their mark on history, along with other fascinating details about one of the city’s smallest cemeteries. 

The walkway was marked with candles.

Live Music of Cors Clavé

On 1 November, at 11:30 a.m., a concert was held in homage to Josep Anselm Clavé, with the choirs Agrupació Coral La Pau from Barcelona and SC Les Veus de la Virreina from Tiana performing at Clavé's tomb in Poblenou Cemetery.

Mexican altar at Poblenou Cemetery

Mexican funeral traditions are culturally rich, and Mexican altars play an important role in households to commemorate deceased family members. A Mexican altar was organized in memory of Josep Anselm Clavé on the 150th anniversary of his death.

The tree of remembrance

We invited everyone who visits the Poblenou Cemetery to hang a card with a message for a loved one they would like to remember and pay tribute to.

Inauguration of the exhibition "Cementiris Tàpies"

"Cementiri Tàpies" is part of an artistic and educational project that combines artistic creation with arts education, paying tribute to Antoni Tàpies, a renowned artist closely connected to the city of Barcelona.

The exhibition "Cementiri Tàpies" is part of the international "Cementiris" project by artist Ricard Huerta. The aim is to highlight cemeteries as valuable heritage sites, emphasizing heritage education. The creative aspect addresses the need for university students to engage with these sites, rich in heritage and memory.

At each location where the exhibition and publication are presented, a universal figure is chosen to represent the theme. Antoni Tàpies, a key figure for Barcelona and an influential artist and theorist, serves as this figure. Ricard Huerta’s paintings are based on Tàpies' writings, particularly passages that reference death, cemeteries, and memory, integrating Tàpies into the "Cementiris" project. This exhibition not only reaches students but also engages the public, making it a tribute to Tàpies.

The exhibition opened on October 25 at 4 p.m. and will be available for viewing until January 12, before moving to Les Corts Cemetery and eventually to Poblenou Cemetery.

The Pedagogical Suitcase project at Barcelona cemeteries

In 2024, Cementiris de Barcelona has expanded its educational services by introducing the Pedagogical Suitcase project, designed to bring funeral culture into schools.

Offering educational activities in schools

Cementiris de Barcelona is an active participant in the ASCE Schools on Cemeteries project and a member of Barcelona City Council's Pedagogical Innovation Council. 

Since 2013, they have been offering educational activities in schools to bring pupils closer to the funerary heritage of the cemeteries, reflecting Barcelona's historical evolution. Over the last few years, these activities have been developed and adapted to meet the needs of the school curriculum. 

In 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, they took a step forward by creating three additional activities, allowing young people to express the concept of death from an artistic and creative perspective through the study and research of cemeteries. During this challenging time, there was a growing need to naturalise death and break existing taboos, which led many schools to turn to their pedagogical activities.

Own educational project

Barcelona is a city rich in cultural and museum offerings, and the range of educational activities provided by cultural organisations in schools is wide and varied. In response to this, Cementiris de Barcelona developed its own educational project aimed at all levels of education. This initiative enables the development of a range of basic skills to complement school education.

The cemeteries of Poblenou and Montjuïc, listed as monumental cemeteries by the Council of Europe and part of the European Cemeteries Route, offer students the opportunity to learn about the most important historical, social and cultural events in the history of Barcelona and its most illustrious figures.

These programs also encourage a critical view of societies and their organisations, promote open conversations about death, and foster respect for artistic and cultural heritage.

Collection of Hearses and El Fossar de la Pedrera

Another of the outstanding spaces in which educational activities are carried out is the Collection of Hearses, a unique heritage site in Europe. Here, visitors can explore the evolution of funeral rituals to better understand the change in mentality towards the concept of death, as well as learn about gender roles within the funeral world, particularly focusing on the role of widows.

Additionally, within Montjuïc Cemetery lies one of the main memorials to the victims of Franco's regime in Catalonia, El Fossar de la Pedrera. This site offers an opportunity to delve into one of the most impactful episodes in recent history, the Spanish Civil War, raising students' awareness of the violence that can be inflicted by the state.

The diversity of activities and the historical and heritage value of the cemeteries have also attracted schools from France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, who have brought their pupils to explore Barcelona's cemeteries.

The Pedagogical Suitcase project

In 2024, Cementiris de Barcelona has expanded its educational services by introducing the Pedagogical Suitcase during the current academic year. This set of pedagogical tools is designed to bring funeral culture into schools and address bereavement among younger students.

The activities are structured for classroom learning and can be followed by visits to the cemetery, allowing students to experience firsthand what they have learned in class and gain a deeper understanding of their role in society.

The goal of these activities is to help students engage with a reality that affects everyone equally, while understanding that, although death is a universal event, there is a great diversity of ways to approach and experience it.

Additionally, the program familiarises students with different religious traditions, encourages them to reflect on their own lives and values, and helps them develop better emotional management by exploring the range of emotions that bereavement can evoke.

WDEC 2017 - Literary-musical Cultural act in Cementiris de Barcelona

Discover the star that shines above an immortal’s grave. Then remind of him properly, honor his memory and respect his whole past life. A book, a song, an idea, a voice, a play, a film, a picture, a sacrifice… by any art of living these people deserve the immortality.   

Night tour in Montjuïc Cemetery

Night tour in Montjuïc Cemetery (Barcelona). On the 23rd March Cementiris de Barcelona organise a night tour in Montjuïc Cemetery.

Cementiris de Barcelona actively participates in the Modernist Fair

At Cementris de Barcelona we try to be an active member of the cultural events in the city.

Memorial Concert at the Cemetery Montjuïc in Barcelona

We are giving you an opportunity to get the last available places to attend the Memorial Concert.

WDEC 2015 - Literary-musical Cultural act in Cementiris de Barcelona

This event is a tribute to the poets and writers buried in the cemeteries of Barcelona.