The British Cemetery of Madrid, a beautiful funerary corner in the north of Carabanchel

For a long time, cemeteries in Spain were reserved for people baptized in the Catholic religion.

A tour of the beautiful English Cemetery in Málaga, the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula
Two large German military cemeteries in France that remember Jewish soldiers

This was a big problem for people of other religious denominations. As we saw last year, an English cemetery was opened in Malaga in 1831, where the first Anglican church in Spain was built in 1891. In Madrid, there were already plans to build an English cemetery in 1796 near the famous Plaza de Colón. The British government even bought land for this purpose, but such a cemetery was never authorized.

Finally, in 1854 a British Cemetery was opened in the northeast of the Carabanchel district, specifically at 7 Calle Comandante Fontanes, which was then known as the Carabanchel road. This land is owned by the British government, and the coat of arms of the United Kingdom has appeared above its entrance since 1856. The cemetery was made in the style of English gardens, with a romantic appearance. This style, together with the quality of its statues, pantheons and tombstones, make this place a beautiful funeral corner.

This site was initially intended for people of the Anglican Christian religion,, the official denomination of the United Kingdom, but because other religious denominations were also not allowed to carry out burials in Catholic cemeteries, the British Cemetery ended up taking Christians of other denominations (Lutherans and Russian and Greek Orthodox) and Jews. There is also the grave of a Muslim person inside. Approximately half of the people buried here were British, the rest were from different countries, including some Spanish.

There are about 600 graves in the British Cemetery. Due to lack of space and the fact that in Spain it is now possible to bury people of different religious denominations (as well as agnostics and atheists) in many cemeteries, today there are hardly any burials in this beautiful corner of Carabanchel, except for burying ashes. The committee that runs this cemetery is headed by the person who is currently in charge of the British Consulate in Madrid.

The cemetery is open and can be visited on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Famous people such as businessman Ignacio Bauer (his family owns a large pantheon), the Loewe family (owner of the famous fashion brand) and businessman William Parish (owner of the famous Circo Price) have visited it. If you would like more information about this cemetery, you can visit its page on the British Cemeteries Foundation in Spain website.

Finally, the British community in Spain often holds ceremonies here to commemorate their fallen. Today, the Defence Attaché of the British Embassy in Spain published these photos of a memorial held at this cemetery on the occasion of Armistice Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the end of the World War I every 11 November:

If you want to see more, two years ago Ignacio C. published a video touring the interior of this beautiful cemetery:

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Photos: Fundación Cementerios Británicos en España / UKDefenceinSpain.