Cementerio de Ceares is the “official” cemetery of Gijón, Spain. Founded in 1876, Cementerio de Ceares was the main burial centre and thus the most important cemetery in Gijón until 1999, when the Deva Municipal Cemetery was created. Cementerio de Ceares is also known by another name; “El Suco”, which means “the mound of earth” or “the wrinkle in the ground” in the local language of the region of Asturias, where Gijón is located.
As is the case of many large cities (I’m looking at you, London), Cementerio de Ceares was originally located on the edge of Gijón, on the western face of Los Pericones hill. But with the city’s industrial expansion over the course of the twentieth century, and with the cemetery’s increase in size due to a disproportionately burgeoning need for burial space, Cementerio de Ceares now rests well within the borders of the urban centre of the city.
In fact, to curb its occupation of land, Cementerio de Ceares was eventually delimited with a large cement wall, and in 2007 it was embedded in Pericones Park, which also surrounds it.
Cementerio de Ceares has some notable features. The original site was considered to be particularly elaborate, with a terraced, rectangular layout whose upper part housed high-quality pantheons. This was then embellished with a civil cemetery in 1902, and a chapel in 1904. Today the civil cemetery – as well as many of Cementerio de Ceares’ pantheons and other structures – is included in the Historic-Artistic Heritage of the Principality of Asturias.
It is also considered a pioneer of its time in terms of its architectural arrangement. From its inception an effort was made to have a clear separation of the cemetery’s religious, social and logistical functions. The cemetery chapel, for example, was conceived to act not only as a regular chapel, but also as a transit and entrance space to the civil cemetery, with very pragmatic deposit and autopsy rooms in its lateral annexes.
Walking around the cemetery is, without wishing to sound morbid, a very pleasant experience. As with all good cemeteries, the atmosphere is one of peacefulness and respect for the dead.
The cemetery falls neatly into two halves – the north and the south – each with its own distinct but beautiful architecture. As you leave the vaults and headstones of the original site, stairs lead down through the curved plots that follow the contours of Los Pericones hill, and you get a very pleasing view of Gijón.
We had the place almost to ourselves upon our visit. After some exploration of the northern area, we approached more stairs that led down to a plateau with a large open area.
As we got nearer, I heard voices, and my immediate thought was “Do not stumble headfirst into a funeral service, you tourist!” But fortunately, it was just a couple of construction workers discussing renovations, and we didn’t disturb anyone’s private bereavement.
Always remember: in cemeteries, being respectful is the most important thing!
A Brief Note on Franco and the Spanish Civil War
The following memorials deal with the difficult topic of General Fransisco Franco and Spain’s Civil War 1936-1939. For those unfamiliar with the subject, Spanish military leaders launched a coup on July 17th 1936. The nation was divided into two groups almost overnight: the “Republicans” (or “Loyalists”) and the “Nationalists”, who would eventually be led by Franco.
Following a military victory for the Nationalists on the fifth day of the rebellion, sympathetic fascist governments began helping Franco, who had reached out to them the day before. On the tenth day, the Axis powers officially sided with the Nationalists, and German assistance consolidated Franco’s leadership of the insurgency.
Franco began a purge of those believed to be enemies of the state as a form of societal cleansing. This period, from 1936 and running nine years into the Franco Regime, is referred to the Francoist Repression or “White Terror”. The death toll, from executions during this time and from the remainder of Franco’s rule until 1975, has been estimated by historians to be between 100,000 – 200,000 people.
The topic of Franco is still taboo in Spain to this day, and discussions on the subject are not to be entered into lightly, or flippantly. In fact, it’s best to just avoid the subject completely.
Monument to the Victims of the Franco Repression
Within the cemetery, there is a monument to those who lost their lives during the Franco regime. Shaped in the style of an upright book with open pages, this large black monolith lists the names of 1,934 victims of “Franco’s repression”. That number includes those mentioned above, with the additional names gathered due to the investigation and research efforts of the association “All Names” and of historian Enriqueta Ortega.
Many of the victims named were either shot or died in prison for their political beliefs. The aim of the memorial is to recognise their loyalty and dignify their deaths.
The memorial was inaugurated on 14th April 2010. There is a plaque attached to the monument, which bears the following inscription:
“To the victims of Franco’s repression / freedom fighters and defenders of human dignity / in their memory”
The monument also has empty spaces for additional names to be added, should any more be found as a result of the ongoing investigation.
El Paredón (The Wall)
The second memorial to the victims of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco regime lies at the edge of the cemetery, near one of the four entrances.
“El Paredón” is adorned with plaques of remembrance for the victims of the Civil War and the following period, from all manner of groups and organisations. Messages of tribute, love and honour to relatives, victims of the military uprising, Freemasons, military excombatants and to the citizens of Gijón are all fitted next to each other across the wall.
The main plaque comes from the Municipality of Gijón, who in 1993 installed a message dedicated to 3,000 citizens who were shot and killed at Cementerio de Ceares, and whose remains still lie within four mass graves.
How to Get There
Cementerio de Ceares is just to the south of Gijón city centre, half an hour’s walk from both Estación ALSA (Gijón’s main bus station) and San Lorenzo beach. We recommend walking south along Carretera Ceares to get there, as that way you get to walk through Pericones Park on your way.
Address: Carretera Ceares, 0, 33201 Gijón, Asturias, Spain
Opening Times: 9AM – 7PM Monday – Sunday
Have you been to Gijón? Did you visit “El Suco”? What were your main impressions? Let us know in the comments below!
