The neighbourhood of San Isidro, in Carabanchel, is home this fascinating cemetery, still in use today, located right next to Madrid’s oldest cemetery, San Isidro, separated only by a wall. San Justo is a true open-air museum where you can see architecturally stunning tombs and where illustrious figures from Spanish history and culture are buried.

Originally known as the Cementerio de San Pedro y San Andrés, it was commissioned by Queen Isabella II in 1845 on the hill known as the Cerro de las Animas (hill of souls). The architect Wenceslao Gavina designed the project, which he based on the San Nicolás y San Sebastián cemetery, which closed in 1884 and eventually disappeared in 1912, and which was, in part, where the Madrid Regional Library is currently located.

During the Civil War, the cemetery was damaged on several occasions. At the end of the war, work was undertaken to reform and improve the cemetery, work that is still ongoing today.

Among the great names buried here are 19th Century literati such as Mariano José de Larra, José de Espronceda, Breton de los Herreros, Francisco Villaespesa, Ramon de Campoamor, the Alvarez Quintero brothers ; composers such as Federico Chueca and Ruperto Chapi; the painter Vicente Palmaroli;  politicians Ramon Nocedal and Pedro Sainz Rodriguez; Doctor Gregorio Maranon and his family; and artists such as Manuel Dicenta, Pastora Imperio, Luis Escobar, Rafaela Aparicio, and Sara Montiel, among others. Many of them have been laid to rest in a pantheon designed by Enrique Maria Repuls and commissioned in 1902 by the Association of Writers and Artists.

The Asociación Cultural Funerarte offers guided tours with expert guides in funeral art, taking you round the different courtyards in the cemetery and pointing out the art and culture found there. For more information, see the official website.