Les Corts Cemetery

Les Corts Cemetery is one of Barcelona's lesser-known but historically significant burial grounds, located in the Les Corts district right across from Camp Nou stadium. Unlike the city's large necropolises such as Montjuïc or Poblenou, Les Corts has kept an intimate, local character that traces back to when the district was still an independent municipality.

How did the cemetery in Les Corts come about?

The site's history goes back to 1836, when Les Corts split off from the neighboring town of Sarrià and became an independent municipality. The first documented reference to a burial ground here dates from 1845, when Vicenç Cuyàs, the first mayor of Les Corts, donated land for a cemetery. A year later, in 1846, a royal decree banned burials in parish cemeteries, which pushed forward the creation of a standalone municipal necropolis on the outskirts of what was then a village. Nothing survives today from that original, earliest structure.

What did the cemetery look like after its rebuild?

The cemetery as it largely appears today opened in 1897. A major expansion and renovation followed in 1913, designed by Pere Falqués, a respected modernist architect known for architectural details found elsewhere in the city. After his death in 1916, the works were completed by Agustí Domingo Verdaguer. The result is the site's distinctive modernist aesthetic, visible in both the perimeter wall and the interior chapel — arched forms, decorative stonework, and the careful finishing typical of Catalan modernisme.

What makes this place distinctive?

The cemetery covers roughly 34,300 square meters and holds more than 30,000 graves, ranging from modest niches to more elaborate family tombs typical of the local bourgeoisie and residents of the former Les Corts municipality. One of its more notable sections is the oldest Jewish burial plot in Barcelona, where the first interment took place in 1932 — a trace of the city's Jewish community during the interwar period.

Why is it worth a visit?

For visitors near Camp Nou or wandering through Les Corts, the cemetery offers an interesting counterpoint to the district's modern, football-driven identity. It is a place where you can trace the history of a once-independent municipality later absorbed by an expanding Barcelona, while also appreciating modernist funerary architecture in a quiet, largely untouristed setting. The municipal cemetery service (Cementiris de Barcelona) also runs themed cultural walks here, covering both the site's history and the people buried within it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Les Corts Cemetery open to visitors? Yes, like most municipal cemeteries in Barcelona, it is open to the public during the hours set by the city's cemetery authority.

How does it differ from the Montjuïc cemetery? Les Corts is much smaller and more local in character — it began as the cemetery of a once-independent municipality, while Montjuïc is one of Barcelona's largest urban necropolises.

What should you look out for on site? The modernist chapel and perimeter wall designed by Pere Falqués, and the city's oldest Jewish burial plot.