One travel tradition that I have is to visit at least one cemetery in each destination. Not only do these spaces provide me with a peaceful respite, but they offer me a glimpse into the culture and beauty of the area. I discovered the unique San Fernando Cemetery in Seville only a short walk away from Old Town.
Getting There
Surprisingly easy to find, San Fernando is the only municipal cemetery in the city. It took me half an hour to walk to from the gates of Old Town, very doable. I’ll put a google link here, it’s an easy find, walk up a single street and you will bump right into it.
Brief History
Prior to the cemetery existing, people were buried at a church, either in the crypt or on the grounds. Or at their local hospital. In the year 1801, over 14,000 people lost their lives in Seville alone, due to yellow fever.
It became quickly apparent that a larger space needed to be created. A municipal plan was decided upon, and after several locations, the current one, just north of the Old City was chosen. It’s a huge cemetery, possibly the largest I have ever visited. A whopping 69 acres or 28 hectares and still in use today.
Garden of the Poets
Often referred to as Seville’s open aired museum, San Fernando Cemetery has a large area near the entrance dedicated to some of the city’s most famous citizens. Visitors will see monuments, tombs and the graves of famous artists and bullfighters among many others.
See the grave for Spanish painter Jose Villegas Cordero which has a particularly beautiful bronze sculpture resting on the tomb as well as a painters pallet etched into the top.
Bullfighters Paquirri, who was gored to death at the age of 36 and Joselito who succumbed to the horns at 25 have exceptional tombs here.
Family Mausoleums
A large portion of this cemetery, nearer to the entrance, is occupied by beautiful single-family mausoleums. Some of these buildings look like small churches and other are completely subterranean.
The styles of architecture that are represented by the mausoleums is vast. Rows upon rows of these structures are fascinating to walk past and see the beauty they hide and hold.
Individual Mausoleums
Never have I seen so many huge and old individual mausoleums. There are long rows of buildings here. Many appear to be almost empty, and it makes me think these structures are no longer safely standing.
I was astonished walking for so long, beside these empty and cavernous spaces. What I found particularly interesting were most cavities were the length of a typical coffin. But some structures in another area were only half the size, perhaps 3 feet deep.
Trenches
One very heart wrenching aspect of this cemetery are the trenches. Previously there were multiple types of burials available. First, second and third class and lastly trench burial.
A total of 28,997 bodies rest in eight different trenches used from 1852-1960. Three of these are from the civil war, and the remaining five were used for the homeless and unclaimed bodies.
Underground Tombs
Another aspect I find very interesting with San Fernando are the number of subterranean mausoleums. The old cast iron gates raised and open, with stairs descending down into the ground. These are for single family use and some are really quite large containing 30 or more bodies. I have never seen this before.
Genera Area
Most of the cemetery is being used as one would typically imagine a cemetery to look like. Rows and paths of graves and tombs, each with individual decoration of flowers, plants or statues. White marble is the predominant substance used and creates a surreal and pure aspect here.
This cemetery is so vast, I cannot describe how much there is to see. A visitor can spend hours here, walking around, admiring the statuary and enjoying the peaceful environment. There are two crematoriums on the grounds and active services taking place. As always, I felt in awe being here. No one approached me or spoke to me; I was left to respectfully wander and it was amazing.
