cemetery of Olot

Olot Municipal Cemetery rests at the foot of the Montsacopa volcano, one of the dormant cones that ring the town of Olot in Catalonia's volcanic Garrotxa region. Unlike the tidy grid cemeteries found in many towns, this one climbs the terrain in stepped terraces, so the volcanic slope itself becomes part of the visitor's experience — a place where geology and memory sit side by side.

When was the cemetery built?

The cemetery was inaugurated on 20 August 1821, replacing the older practice of burying the dead within or around the town's churches, a custom that European municipalities were phasing out during the early nineteenth century for public-health reasons. In its first decades the cemetery consisted of a single walled enclosure. Of the three stepped, quadrilateral sections visible today, only that original first section and its entrance survive from the founding period — everything beyond it was added later as Olot grew.

How did the cemetery expand?

Pressure on space and changing burial customs led to a major expansion starting in 1893, when two additional sections were built. One of these new areas was set aside specifically for people who had died outside the Catholic Church — a detail that reflects the social and religious tensions of Catalonia in the late nineteenth century, a period marked by growing secularism alongside the traditional Catholic majority. The layout that resulted, with its three terraced enclosures rising one above the other, is the one still preserved today.

What makes the cemetery artistically important?

Olot's cemetery is not only a burial ground but also an open-air gallery of funerary sculpture, largely because of the town's own artistic tradition — Olot was, and remains, known for its school of sculptors and painters. Much of the ornamentation in the second section comes from the workshop of sculptor Celestí Devesa i Pinadella, whose bronze pieces were cast at the Esteve Barberí foundry. Several family pantheons carry his signature, including those of the Esquena, Masllorens, Capdevila, Danés, Agustí, Vayreda, and Juvinyà-Noguera families — surnames tied to Olot's industrial and cultural history.

Beyond Devesa's work, the cemetery holds pieces by other notable sculptors of the period. The Estorch family pantheon was made by Josep Llimona, one of Catalonia's most celebrated modernist sculptors, whose work also appears in Barcelona's public monuments. The Pellicer pantheon, meanwhile, is attributed to F. Zamora Casoni. Together these works turn the cemetery into a record of Catalan funerary art spanning several generations of craftsmen.

Why visit?

For visitors exploring Olot beyond its volcanic landscapes and the Garrotxa Natural Park, the municipal cemetery offers a quieter, reflective stop. Walking its terraces means walking up the lower flank of an extinct volcano while passing bronze angels, family crypts, and modernist stonework — a combination of natural and artistic heritage that is unusual even within a region full of volcanic curiosities. The site is freely accessible and forms part of local guided heritage routes through Olot's funerary and architectural patrimony.

Najczęstsze pytania / Frequently Asked Questions

When was Olot's cemetery built? It opened in 1821 and was significantly expanded in 1893.

Why is the cemetery known for sculpture? Because Olot had an active school of sculptors in the 19th and 20th centuries, several of whom — including Celestí Devesa i Pinadella and Josep Llimona — created bronze and stone family pantheons still standing in the second section.

Is the cemetery connected to the volcano? Yes — it is built directly on the lower slope of the Montsacopa volcanic cone, one of several volcanoes within Olot's municipal limits.

Can visitors walk through freely? The cemetery is open to the public and is included in local heritage routes covering Olot's funerary architecture.