The San José de Granada Cemetery It is the second oldest in Spain. Its origin dates back to the 19th century (1805), after a yellow fever epidemic that suffered the city of Granada. It was formerly known as the Barriere Cemetery and was built where a 14th century Arab palace once stood.
Great stories and famous people rest today in this place. These are the more curious data of the Cemetery of Granada:
1. The eternal bride (1881)
It is located in Patio I, in the Pantheon of the Mirasol family. She known as the Sleeping Beauty of Granada. There are several romantic legends that have been created around this monument that decorates the tombstone of Dolores Mirasol. The best known is that of a beautiful young woman who died a few days before her wedding and buried in her wedding dress.
2. Angelo Ganivet
Writer and diplomat, belonging to the Generation of ’98, creator of an entire literary and thought current. One of his most famous books is “Granada Bella”. It rests in Patio I, on a simple and humble plaque by the express will of the writer.
3. José Maria Rodriguez Augusta (Enrico Butti 1900)
Painter who is credited with the best nudes of the twentieth century. He began to make landscapes of Granada and to paint costume designers. He died in 1941. His remains are preserved in Patio I.
The Lord of the Cemetery (1907)
4. The Lord of the Cemetery (1907)
He is a Christ stripped of his garments. He is in Patio II in the Pantheon of Manuel Rodríguez, who was an exceptional doctor for the care of the most needy and children. The Pantheon became a place of pilgrimage for the popular belief that the sculpted Christ performed miracles. In 2002, Manuel Rodríguez’s family donated it to the city. And in 2005 the image of Christ had to be protected and restored, as it suffered damage due to the ‘handrail’ of the devotees.
5. Carlos Delgado and Medina (1831)
Located in the Patio II of the Granada cemetery, it is one of the oldest pantheons, dating back to 1831.
6. Patio III
It dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries. This patio is noteworthy because it perfectly mirrors the 19th century romantic cemetery type. Films and documentaries of the time have been shot here, including ‘Wilde’ (1997), dedicated to the life of Irish writer and playwright Oscar Wilde.
7. Courtyard of the Hermitage
It is located in Patio III. This courtyard preserves the tombstones of the twentieth century through a neo-Romanesque chapel completed and opened for worship in 1908.
8. The Alixares Palace
Located in the Patio San Cristóbal. It is a garden with the archaeological remains of a swimming pool belonging to a 14th century Nasrid almunia.
9. Emilio Herrera Linares (Rogelio Martin)
He was a Spanish military engineer, known as an aviator and scientist. President of the Government of the Second Spanish Republic in exile. He died in 1963 in Paris. His mortal remains were moved to the cemetery in his native Granada in 1993. They are currently found in the 19th-20th century Patio de Santiago.
10. French Pantheon (Trevélez)
His story tells a tragic story in which a French commercial plane bound for Mauritania crashed on Mount Mulhacén in the early hours of October 2, 1964. Of the 75 passengers, 24 were children. Only five of the bodies could be identified, as the others were unrecognizable. Most of the victims were buried in the San José cemetery in a mass grave. Months later, a monument was built in honor of the deceased.
Currently, the San José Cemetery It is considered by the Council of Europe as one of the cemeteries that preserve certain cultural and social values. For this reason it has been designated as a European cultural route within the route of the historic cemeteries, which consists of 49 cemeteries in 37 cities such as Rome, Paris or Berlin.
Hay guided tour to get to know all these enclaves and many others of the Granada Cemetery in depth. They have a duration of two hours and a price of 18 euros. They take place at 9pm in September and 10pm in July and August. If you want to know more about the stories of this peculiar cemetery you can consult the site http://granadaatraves.com.
