Barcelona will offer families of the deceased new options to store the ashes of their loved ones. These are two garden spaces of 2,500 and 600 square meters in the Montujïc cemetery and another of 1,500 square meters in the Sant Andreu cemetery reserved for burying the ashes of the deceased.
This new service has been available for concession since yesterday. It aims to respond to a demand that continues to increase, that of cremation as an alternative to traditional burial. This demand has led Cementiris of Barcelona to offer this alternative to the scattering of ashes or the use of columbariums.
The spaces set up for this purpose were previously occupied by blocks of niches or traditional tombs. Large green areas have been adapted which, as explained by Barcelona City Council, "allow the linking of the cinerary urn with the trees and plants in a natural environment that invites contemplation and reflection."
Depending on the families' choice, they can choose different types of graves for the burial of ashes, such as columbariums or cinerary tombs, for example. In the case of the Sant Andreu cemetery, the new space for the burial of ashes has an area of 1,500 square meters and is located around the chapel, in the center of the site.
These interventions give continuity to a service that is already offered in the Collserola and Montjuïc cemeteries and that is intended to be extended to the other funerary sites in the city.
A series of objectives determine the structure of these funerary gardens: the relationship with the landscape, the provision of spaces more suitable for retreat and the celebration of farewells; have more presence of green; greater sustainability, the application of construction strategies with low environmental impact and improving visitor comfort. According to Barcelona City Council, the achievement of these objectives mitigates the heat island effect, increases vegetation, incorporates vegetated pergolas that provide shade for visitors, adds spaces for stay or reflection with benches for rest and pacifies the space where vehicles pass. providing family members with protected areas.
In recent times, the cremation of the deceased has been replacing burial. According to data from Cementiris of Barcelona, cremations represent 58% of the total and 42% of traditional burials. The trend is that in the near future the number of cremations will increase and reach at least 70%. In Catalonia, cremations are also the majority, with 53% of burials in 2022.
During these dates of All Saints' Day, the cemeteries have the maximum influx of visitors of the entire year. Between Saturday and Sunday, some 22,000 people passed through the different venues in Barcelona, and it is expected that tomorrow and next weekend there will also be a large attendance.
