Cementeri de Campanar

Cementeri de Campanar is a historic municipal cemetery in the northern part of Valencia, one of six urban cemeteries serving the city. Although it now sits within the metropolitan boundaries, for most of its history it served the small, independent municipality of Campanar, which was only absorbed into Valencia near the end of the 19th century.

Where did this cemetery come from?

The idea of building a burial ground outside the walls of the old village of Campanar dates back to the early 19th century. In 1808, the local intendant-corregidor Francisco Javier de Azpiroz petitioned the higher authorities to establish a cemetery on land adjoining the local huerta, the traditional farmland surrounding the settlement. It was meant to replace the old parish cemetery previously located at what is now the church square (plaza de la Iglesia) in the center of Campanar — a typical move for an era when sanitary authorities across Spain were ordering burial grounds to be relocated away from inhabited areas for hygiene reasons.

How did its status change over time?

Campanar remained an independent municipality until 1897, when it was incorporated into the administrative boundaries of Valencia. A few years later, in 1903, the city council purchased the original cemetery plot, measuring 1,658 square meters, formalizing its status as a municipal facility under the provincial capital. From that point on, the cemetery developed as part of the city's broader network of burial grounds, alongside larger sites such as the Cementerio General.

What does the cemetery look like today?

Today, Cementeri de Campanar covers roughly 8,000 square meters and follows a regular, quadrangular layout, enclosed by a simple wall of exposed brick. The entrance is set into one of the perimeter walls, where a plain gate is sheltered beneath a semicircular arch. The dominant form of burial is the wall niche, grouped into structures built specifically to make the most of limited space — a common solution in Mediterranean urban cemeteries where land for traditional ground burials is scarce. Alongside the niches, a modest green section holds burials marked only by a simple stone slab bearing the name of the deceased, without further ornamentation.

Is the cemetery still expanding?

Yes. Because space is limited, the city periodically carries out expansion works. In 2018, additional columbarium niches were added to meet growing demand for cremation in Valencia, and in subsequent years further, smaller extensions to the niche capacity were carried out — the first such construction in this part of the city in a long time.

Can visitors come here?

The cemetery is open to visitors Monday through Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 14:00. It is visited mainly by residents of the Campanar neighborhood and by people tracing family graves rather than by tourists, but it remains an interesting record of Valencia's local administrative and sanitary history from two centuries ago.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cementeri de Campanar the same as the Cementerio General de Valencia? No. It is a separate, smaller municipal cemetery, one of six serving the city of Valencia, historically tied to the formerly independent municipality of Campanar.

How large is the cemetery? It covers approximately 8,000 square meters, making it one of the smaller of Valencia's six urban cemeteries.

When was it founded? Efforts to establish it date back to 1808, and it formally became a city cemetery after Campanar was annexed by Valencia in 1897 and the plot was purchased by the city council in 1903.