Offering educational activities in schools
Cementiris de Barcelona is an active participant in the ASCE Schools on Cemeteries project and a member of Barcelona City Council's Pedagogical Innovation Council.
Since 2013, they have been offering educational activities in schools to bring pupils closer to the funerary heritage of the cemeteries, reflecting Barcelona's historical evolution. Over the last few years, these activities have been developed and adapted to meet the needs of the school curriculum.
In 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, they took a step forward by creating three additional activities, allowing young people to express the concept of death from an artistic and creative perspective through the study and research of cemeteries. During this challenging time, there was a growing need to naturalise death and break existing taboos, which led many schools to turn to their pedagogical activities.
Own educational project
Barcelona is a city rich in cultural and museum offerings, and the range of educational activities provided by cultural organisations in schools is wide and varied. In response to this, Cementiris de Barcelona developed its own educational project aimed at all levels of education. This initiative enables the development of a range of basic skills to complement school education.
The cemeteries of Poblenou and Montjuïc, listed as monumental cemeteries by the Council of Europe and part of the European Cemeteries Route, offer students the opportunity to learn about the most important historical, social and cultural events in the history of Barcelona and its most illustrious figures.
These programs also encourage a critical view of societies and their organisations, promote open conversations about death, and foster respect for artistic and cultural heritage.
Collection of Hearses and El Fossar de la Pedrera
Another of the outstanding spaces in which educational activities are carried out is the Collection of Hearses, a unique heritage site in Europe. Here, visitors can explore the evolution of funeral rituals to better understand the change in mentality towards the concept of death, as well as learn about gender roles within the funeral world, particularly focusing on the role of widows.
Additionally, within Montjuïc Cemetery lies one of the main memorials to the victims of Franco's regime in Catalonia, El Fossar de la Pedrera. This site offers an opportunity to delve into one of the most impactful episodes in recent history, the Spanish Civil War, raising students' awareness of the violence that can be inflicted by the state.
The diversity of activities and the historical and heritage value of the cemeteries have also attracted schools from France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, who have brought their pupils to explore Barcelona's cemeteries.
The Pedagogical Suitcase project
In 2024, Cementiris de Barcelona has expanded its educational services by introducing the Pedagogical Suitcase during the current academic year. This set of pedagogical tools is designed to bring funeral culture into schools and address bereavement among younger students.
The activities are structured for classroom learning and can be followed by visits to the cemetery, allowing students to experience firsthand what they have learned in class and gain a deeper understanding of their role in society.
The goal of these activities is to help students engage with a reality that affects everyone equally, while understanding that, although death is a universal event, there is a great diversity of ways to approach and experience it.
Additionally, the program familiarises students with different religious traditions, encourages them to reflect on their own lives and values, and helps them develop better emotional management by exploring the range of emotions that bereavement can evoke.