Cementiri de la Pobla de Claramunt

Cementiri de la Pobla de Claramunt, locally known as the Cementiri dels Plans d'Arau, is a small municipal cemetery lying north of the town, on the way toward Vilanova del Camí, in the Anoia region of Catalonia.

Why was this cemetery founded?

The site's origin traces back to a cholera epidemic that struck the area in 1885. To bury the 34 victims of the outbreak, local authorities set up a provisional burial ground at a place called Pla del Corral del Coca — deliberately chosen at a distance from the town's built-up area, following the sanitary practices of the time for post-epidemic burial sites. Two years later, in 1887, the first masonry niches were built there, turning what had started as a temporary burial spot into a permanent cemetery.

How did ownership of the cemetery change?

The land was originally municipal property. That changed in 1897, when both management and ownership passed to the parish. This pattern — a cemetery founded by the town council and later handed over to the Catholic parish — was common in many Catalan towns at the turn of the 20th century, with the parish typically taking on day-to-day care of the burial ground afterward.

What does the cemetery look like today?

The cemetery has a rectangular layout covering roughly 2,900 square metres and contains 626 burial niches. There is a mortuary deposit on site, but no chapel.

The most distinctive architectural feature is the entrance gate, built of brick and plastered over. Its decoration consists of four obelisks, arranged symmetrically in pairs and in tiers, crowning four small pillars that project from the gate's structure. It's a modest but recognisable design that gives the entrance a formal presence despite the cemetery's overall small scale.

Is it a protected heritage site?

Yes — the cemetery is listed in the Catalan cultural heritage register as a Bé Cultural d'Interès Local (BCIL), a designation for assets of local cultural significance. The protection mainly covers the valuable entrance gate as an architectural element representative of the local building tradition around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Frequently asked questions

How many burial spaces does the cemetery in La Pobla de Claramunt have? It has 626 niches spread across a plot of about 2,900 square metres.

Why was the cemetery built in this specific location? The site was chosen in 1885 in response to a cholera epidemic, deliberately set apart from the town's houses in line with the sanitary customs of the era.

Who owns the cemetery? The parish has managed it since 1897, although it was originally municipal property.

What is the main architectural highlight of the site? The entrance gate, built of plastered brick and topped with four symmetrically placed obelisks.

Is there a chapel on site? No, the cemetery only has a mortuary deposit, with no chapel.