A word from Byzantine Greek that can be translated as "bedroom" came to late Latin as coemeterĭum , which later became cemetery in our language . The concept is used to name the space used for the burial of corpses .
Also called a cemetery , necropolis or pantheon , a cemetery is a place where the mortal remains of people rest . In addition to being buried, bodies in sarcophagi, coffins or coffins can be placed in crypts, mausoleums or niches.
The characteristics of cemeteries varied throughout history . At first, people buried their dead relatives in their own homes. Given the health problems caused by this situation, burials later began to be carried out on nearby land. Later the cemeteries were moved to the outskirts of the cities.
Nowadays, cemeteries are usually open to all members of a community . The burials, however, are individual: that is, each corpse has its own grave and is buried in a particular place. Some families, however, have crypts for all their members.
There are numerous cemeteries spread throughout the world. However, some of the most special are considered to be the following:
-The Pere Lachaise Cemetery. This is located in Paris and is even used as a park. Visiting it is having the opportunity to see in situ the tombs of important people such as the writer Oscar Wilde, the composer Chopin, the painter Delacroix or the singer Jim Morrison, among others.
-The old Jewish cemetery in Prague, which has its origins in the 15th century. It has become one of the most interesting attractions in the city due to the chaotic appearance it presents since it has more than 12,000 tombstones, more than 100,000 deceased and a total of twelve layers of earth.
Beyond being generally linked to human beings , in some countries there are pet cemeteries . There people can bring the remains of their dogs, cats, etc.
In colloquial language, finally, a cemetery is called the space that is intended for the deposit of objects that are not used or that are waste . For example: "This shed is a cemetery of old telephones" , "The neighbors demanded that the government remove the car cemetery that is at the entrance to the town" , "We cannot let this park become a bicycle cemetery" . » .
In addition to all the above, we cannot ignore the fact that there is a very important tetralogy within Spanish literature that has become a boom and that has in its title the term that concerns us now. We are referring to "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books", written by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and which is made up of four works: "The Shadow of the Wind" (2001), "The Angel's Game" (2008), "The Prisoner of the heaven" (2011) and "The Labyrinth of Spirits" (2016).
The city of Barcelona is the setting for this saga where everything from a very particular bookstore to the most picturesque and special books take center stage.