As I walked along the rugged cliff top road, with the waves crashing beneath and the sea breeze in my hair, I caught a glimpse of something. Eerily a white marble angel towering over some iron gates. One wave of relief was that I wasn’t travelling here alone at night. For I was about to go into a graveyard here in northern Spain in the town of Comillas. I was respecting the dead in the cemetery of Comillas.
Comillas is a popular destination for holidaying Spanish, and most go there to visit el Capricho or spend time on its beautiful beach. I was passing through Comillas as I travelled from Santander to the Picos de Europa national park when I was travelling through Europe and living in my car.
Graveyards are not high on my tourism list of things to do in Comillas but for some reason the cemetery of Comillas caught my eye. You will see the burial style which is common across Spain. Coffins are placed in a space in a wall, which is rented for a number of years. Once the rent is finished, the coffin is then moved to another burial area in Comillas. Most coffins are moved to the graveyard just up the road from the cemetery of Comillas.
This particular graveyard area is full of history. The cemetery was built on the site of Comillas’ old parish church (XV or XVI century) after it was abandoned by locals. In 1893, the modernist architect Lluís Domènech was given the task of extending the site making it into the impressive sight it is today. He kept some of the old temple, protecting some of its beautiful architecture , but also extended the area including giving the cemetery a face lift.
The archway at the entrance to the site is part of the 15th Century church which the cemetery was built over. On top of this archway is the guardian angel which was made by Josep Llimona, a Catalan Sculptor in 1895. Underneath are the large iron gates which beautifully capture the Gothic element of this spooky yet quaint place.
Tips for visiting cemetery of Comillas:
1/ The graves are still in use, and whilst I was there, I witnessed local people tending to the tombs and graves of their loved ones. Please remember this is a place of mourning and that you should be respectful at all times.
2/ There is very limited parking so please be respectful for those who are visiting loved ones and do not take up the limited spaces. Further along the headland there are lots of places to park on the road.
3/ If you fancy going for a walk following visiting the graveyard then there is a nice walk along the headland if you cross over the road from the cemetery of Comillas. Here you can look down at the waves crashing below.
4/ From the graveyard, you have lovely views over the town of Comillas.
So there you have it, my guide for cemetery of Comillas in Spain. Have you visited any interesting graveyards/cemeteries? Comment below. Make sure you check out my other posts on Spain and don’t forget you can subscribe to my blog (It’s free!) to keep updated each fortnight with what I am doing and for more posts like this one.
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I actually enjoy visiting cementeries when I travel haha I know it sounds weird, but I just like them. I went to a lot of them in Scotland and now I’m wishing I had gone to this one too when I was in Spain. It’s so eerie, yet beautiful! Your pictures are just delightful and you really managed to capture the vibe of the place =)
I’m familiar with these types of graveyards, as we have the same in Italy. I’ll agree that a graveyard wouldn’t be top of the list of places to see, but I understand why Las Comillas is a little different! It’s very impressive the graveyard is still there, after such a long history; I’m glad they gave it a facelift!
Thanks for an informative post. I haven’t heard of Comillas but it fascinates me. The history of this place and the architecture are interesting. I rarely visiting cemeteries while traveling but I may give Comillas a try.
I know it sounds weird but I’m pretty obsessed with cemeteries! And the weirder the better ahaha! I’ve never heard of this Spanish place before, but its cemetery looks so interesting and full of history, definitely something I would check out when in the area.
Your pictures are stunning. I find cemeteries and eerie yet interesting place to visit when travelling. Of course, respect is the first thing we must all show when we visit cemeteries. I remember visiting Normandy as a child and seeing teenagers jumping around and even then I thought “what are they playing at!?”
Thanks for sharing
I saw graveyards similar to this in Umbria, Italy. I didn’t realize they rented the spot for a bit and then was moved to another location. Love finding out interesting facts like this. I’m not sure why but I find graveyards peaceful most of the time. The energy around them tends to be mostly good.
I am strangely fascinated by cemeteries. They evoke a strange mix of melancholy and awe whenever I visit an impressive one. The cemetery in Comillas look especially impressive due to the mix of the historical with the modern.
I love your pictures! My family is from New Orleans, and I think our cemeteries are the most interesting in the world. But actually we got the style of burial from Spain and Spanish cemeteries are beautiful too. I like your tip to be respectful because it is still a place where people mourn.