The human race has long searched for meaning in the most inexplicable occurrences, one of them being death. Unexpectedly, it is in the architecture of cemeteries, filled to the brim with memories of pain and sorrow, that we find a cathartic space that allows for true solitude and reflection.

Cemeteries for the Living

Humans are the first to look for meaning in inexplicable things. Death is something that resides in everyone’s fate, yet it is a characteristic of life we just can’t come to terms with. These questions lay with the deceased, in cemeteries. Despite their reputation, well-thought out architecture can turn these spaces of grief and sorrow into cathartic journeys which allow for reflection. These pauses in our frenetic lives could be a means to finding our own personal solution to the question: what is the meaning of death?

Monumental Cemetery of Milan, Carlo Maciachini, 1866

Characterized by its Gothic and Romantic style, this notorious cemetery houses some of the most well-known protagonists of Italian history. It is known as a ‘museum under the sky’, where every tomb is its own masterpiece designed by artists and sculptors. Located in the middle is the Famedio containing great writer Alessandro Manzoni’s tomb. The ceiling of this ‘temple of fame’, as suggested by the name’s latin famae aedes, sits at the front of the entrance and inside hides a shockingly intense blue ceiling. Beyond it, in an immense courtyard, lay the graves and edicole (crypts) of notorious and powerful Italian families. The immediate sense of isolation that envelops the visitor, in addition to the overwhelming vastness of the space, allows the individual to lose themselves in a magically macabre forest, sheltered from the noisy streets and crowds typical of the Milanese scene. 

Tomba Brion, Carlo Scarpa, 1978

Tomba Brion was commissioned by the wife of Giuseppe Brion, Onorina Tomasin, after his death. Scarpa accepted the commission after Tomasin declared Brionvenga as the love her life, saying she would never remarry again. This love story sets the tone for the journey visitors can expect to partake in. The entrance is adorned with two intersecting circles, which represent the romantic union between two souls. Here the paths diverge: on the right a corridor emerges from the water and leads to Zen Garden, adorned with water lilies and a pavilion dedicated to meditation. On the left the intertwined circles reappear. Here rest the tombs of the two lovers past a large concrete arch. Thanks to his interest in oriental culture, more specifically Japanese, Scarpa designed a beautiful cemeterial complex that invites visitors to peacefully unravel in a meditative exploration of love and the self.

The Igualada Cemetery, Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós, 1994

The Igualada Cemetery was completed in 1994 on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain by Enric Miralles and Carme Pinós, his wife. Buried between the Catalonian hills, this piece of organic architecture is meant to breach that separation between life and death through spirit. The environment blends in with the natural landscape through its choice of materials like wood, stone and concrete. Visitors are encouraged to be immersed in a solitude that takes the shape of this seemingly worn landscape. Here, Miralles and Pinos wanted to communicate a cycle of past, present and future. Unbeknowest to them, this cycle would be complete with the burial of Miralles himself in the cemetery, a testament to their idea of a complete life cycle. One can only imagine what eerie silence seeps into this ‘City of Death’.

Giving Death Meaning through Architecture

It is here that death becomes part of a bigger conversation involving not only the deceased, but the living too. Through the architects’ focus on nature, solitude and love, visitors are invited to embrace this eerie and uncomfortable environment and become a part of it. Being surrounded by the deceased is what makes us realize that everything is finite. This can give us the strength to live meaningfully, making death the guide to giving life meaning.

_{Featured image: Giulia Delnegro}