Av. Icària,
Llacuna

Initiated in the 18th century, this crowded cemetery is the eternal home for many of Barcelona's finest. The majority of the cemetery is formed from high stacked up graves, with more elaborate mausoleums in the area beyond.

You'll feel as quiet as a mouse as you make your way through the high-rise graves to 'department 3r' (located in the furthest corner on your right as you enter the main gates).

Once there -- under the steely-eyed glare of the of the many bone-yard cats -- you'll come face to face with the sinister but beautiful kiss of death. An oddly erotic sculpture that marks the grave of cotton manufacturer Josep Llaudet Soler. It was sculpted by J. Barba and shows the figure of a young semi-naked man being kissed by the skeletel angel of death.

The inscription translated reads:
"So his youthful heart is fading
In his veins his blood is freezing
and all strength has slipped away. Faith is levelled
as he falls into the arms of death. Alas!

contributor: Nigel Hayler