Sarrià cemetery

Sarrià Cemetery is a small, intimate burial ground in what was once the independent village of Sarrià, now one of Barcelona's most refined districts. Unlike the grand, monumental cemeteries of the city centre, it has kept a modest, almost village-like character — which is exactly what it was built to be: a resting place for the residents of a small municipality, not a showcase necropolis for a large metropolis.

Where did this cemetery come from?

The municipality of Sarrià purchased the land in 1835, and the enclosure itself, along with its buildings, was completed in 1849 to a design by architect Francesc Renart i Arús. At that time Sarrià was still an independent town on the outskirts of Barcelona, bordering the area of Sant Gervasi de Cassoles. It was only in 1921 that the town was formally annexed into Barcelona — at the time of annexation its population was still modest, and many of the surrounding houses served as summer homes for residents of Barcelona itself.

The parish archives that once held the earlier burial registers were destroyed in a fire, which is why the oldest surviving register book dates only from 1922, even though the cemetery had already been in use since the mid-19th century.

Layout and scale

The cemetery covers an area of roughly 5,600 square metres and holds around 2,200 graves. Its layout is rectangular, organised around a central axis where the entrance and the chapel stand. The grounds are divided into two sections, separated by a path running from the entrance gate to the chapel.

Because of its origins as the cemetery of a small village rather than a large city, Sarrià never developed the large, ostentatious family vaults typical of Barcelona's bigger inner-city cemeteries. Instead, it has retained the intimate, simple atmosphere it had from the start — which today is precisely what gives it its character for visitors.

What is there to see?

Among the tombs, the neo-Gothic vault of the Mumbrú family stands out, designed by architect August Font i Carreras in 1894 — one of the few more elaborate architectural features in this otherwise modest cemetery.

The cemetery is also the resting place of the poet couple Carles Riba and Clementina Arderiu, whose grave is marked by a relief created by sculptor Joan Rebull — one of the more significant sites connected to Catalan literary history. Painter Jaume Mercader is buried here as well. Visitors can also find a notable funerary monument dedicated to a pharmacist who served as ombudsman for the Sarrià town council, commissioned by his widow and children.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sarrià Cemetery open to visitors? Yes, it is a public site that can be visited, and it is sometimes included in guided walks exploring the history of the former village of Sarrià and the surrounding district.

Why does this cemetery differ from other Barcelona cemeteries? Because it was built as the cemetery of an independent, small municipality rather than as part of a large city, which explains the absence of monumental vaults and its preserved intimate character.

Who is buried here? Notable burials include the poets Carles Riba and Clementina Arderiu, as well as the painter Jaume Mercader.

When was the cemetery built? The land was acquired in 1835, and construction was completed in 1849 to a design by Francesc Renart i Arús.