THE BARCELONNETTE GRAVEYARD, 1847

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Description

Originally located around the parish church of Barcelonnette, in 1847 the graveyard was moved to the east of the city, after the Three Crosses (Calvary). Considered as "one of the finest in the world," the Barcelonnette graveyard is proud to host remarkable buildings mainly built by former traders in Mexico back in Ubaye after making their fortune.

The most common monumental form is the chapel, which goes from widespread neo-Gothic to a sort of Egyptian mastaba through combinations of classical or baroque style, or hybrid Assyrian Empire style. Mainly made by artisans and artists from Barges in Piedmont (Cuneo Province), the monumental graves bear the signature of Pierre Rossetto's company associated with the sculptor Luigi Rinaldi.

The uniqueness of this funerary heritage still lies in the variety of the materials: Queyras limestone, the marble stones of the High Ubaye, Carrara marble, which make the Barcelonnette graveyard a "true lapidary museum in open sky" (Pierre Dallaire). In 1959, the town of Barcelonnette decided to build a new cemetery located just outside the city, at the foot of Villevielle.

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ICONOGRAPHIE
The monumental graves / architecture / settings/ details photo campaign of the General Inventory regional department / © Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Frédéric Pauvarel 2009.