Every seasoned tourist is well aware that in European countries there are cemeteries where some of the tombstones are protected by the state as a valuable historical heritage. Therefore, such tombstones are one of the main attractions of any European country. Almost every urban cemetery in Europe is an open-air museum filled with sculptures by great masters. One of these is the very first Poblenou cemetery, located in the old days outside the walls surrounding Barcelona. This new place for the departed citizens was opened in 1775 and consecrated by the Bishop of Barcelona.
Poblenou cemetery
Napoleonic troops completely destroyed this cemetery in 1813, and it was only after the end of the war in 1819 that it was restored. The cemetery was rebuilt in a neoclassical style by the Italian architect Antonio Ginesi.
It is believed that death equalizes everyone, but this statement does not apply much to the Poblenou cemetery. Initially, its territory was divided into two zones. In one part, the poor were buried, using concrete niches for their mortal bodies, and in the other, wealthy residents of Barcelona were buried with family crypts. The graves of the departed rich were decorated with tombstones and statues, which were worked on by the best masters and sculptors of that time.
With the growth of the population in Barcelona, the need arose to expand the boundaries of the cemetery, and in 1849 the city authorities carried out a number of works on its territory related to the modification and increase in the area. The reconstruction did not affect the appearance of the old gravestones and crypts, reflecting the architectural styles of different periods. Thanks to the respect for the past, the Poblenou cemetery has preserved monuments that are true works of art of the Gothic style and Renaissance.
History of the Kiss of Death monument
One of these monuments is the famous "Kiss of Death", installed at the tombstone of the only son of the Spanish manufacturer Josep Llaudet Soler. From what the young man died at such an early age, no one knows. Some argue that the mystery of the young man's death is caused by a "bad disease" associated with the dissolute lifestyle of a rich young rake. Perhaps because of this, his grave is located in the most secluded place of the cemetery.
Heartbroken father could not come to terms with the irreparable loss. To perpetuate the image of his son, he turned to the best sculptor in Spain. There is still no definite answer to the question of who created this mystical monument. Some consider the "Kiss of Death" the creation of the hands of Joan Fonbernat, while others argue that this work of art was created by Jaum Barba. There is information that the inconsolable father, seeing the finished monument, could not recover from the excess of conflicting feelings that surged upon him, and sat at the grave of his son for about three days. After that, he could not find the strength to visit his deceased offspring again and never came to his grave again.
Description of the sculpture
This sculpture really evokes a storm of emotions associated with horror, some kind of ridiculous tenderness and an incomprehensible state of ecstasy. Mixed feelings are evoked by a young man with a strong muscular body and the bony winged figure of Death clinging to him. One gets the impression that the young man voluntarily surrenders to the desire of his bony mistress. He powerlessly dropped his hands along his torso, obediently throwing his head back, with all his appearance demonstrating a complete lack of will and unwillingness to resist death as such. Perhaps the sculptor was trying to convey the mood of some part of the youth of that time, who, having everything, did not see the meaning in their own life.
The image of a terrible death in this sculpture looks completely unconventional. Death gently touches the youth's temple, carefully supporting his body with bony hands. She did not bite into him predatory and mercilessly, as artists usually portray. The opposite is true here. Even the wings are used by Death to protect the young man, gently protecting him from everything that surrounds the young man.
Death image
The figure of Death and the youth can be interpreted in different ways. The image of Death can also look insidious. The vile bony ruler of the underworld gradually crept up to the young man and, together with a kiss, takes away his youth and strength. It is no coincidence that the young man knelt down in exhaustion. Death bent over him so that he could never rise again.
The epitaph on the tombstone of the deceased young man to some extent reflects the hopelessness of the moment when a person falls into the arms of death. Everyone who happens to visit this sculpture will be able to read at the grave that the young man's heart has ceased to beat forever, and the blood has stopped flowing through his veins. His powers left him and he completely belonged to Death.
It is believed that it was thanks to this peculiar sculpture that the mystical film "The Seventh Seal" was released. The idea of its creation came to the filmmaker Bergman just after he visited the Poblenou cemetery in Barcelona and saw the legendary "Kiss of Death".
This amazing sculpture is fraught with mysticism, and many believe that touching it, you can feel a slight tingling sensation like from electricity.
Among the beautiful cathedrals, the bustling narrow streets of the old city and the famous football club in Barcelona, there are quiet and secluded places that preserve the beautiful works of the masters where eternal peace reigns. Perhaps the beautiful sculptures towering over the gravestones of the deceased inhabitants of Barcelona are a reflection of the main meaning of the transience of life. That is, everyone living on Earth must remember that the same fate awaits him, which means that every moment he lives must be appreciated.
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