Halloween in Malaga, although we are still having sun on the beach, is just around the corner. Voilà Málaga is going to show you its favourite places in Malaga related to the other world.
1. English Cemetery of Malaga
This is the first non-Catholic cemetery settled in Spain. It dates back to the year 1840, with a very famous first tenant, Robert Boyd. This red-haired Irish guy helped General Torrijos in his attempt to re-install democracy in Spain. Torrijos and his friends were killed, and actually they are buried at the Plaza de la Merced, but Boyd, as he was non-Catholic, had the honour of opening the English Cemetery. Many other famous people are buried here. Placed in Paseo de Reding, near la Malagueta, it was originally built outside the town and now in the midst of a very sought after area. It is quite peculiar to see the oldest part with tombs full-covered with white shells. Definitely, the dead with best views in Malaga.
2. San Lazaro´s Parish
We already talked in our blog about this small parish, at the Plaza de la Victoria. At the crypt below the church, many drawings covering the ceiling all around just one theme: death. Appearing as the Black Death, the reaper, etc. it is not the only spooky thing in this room. Empty niches tell us about desecrated tombs belonged to monks, by people looking for some metal plates supposed to be buried with them. A story that people who died from black death were buried with these plates made them re-open all these niches. What was left from that desecration was put together in one only niche. We hope these monks are finally resting in peace.
3. Crypt of “La Victoria” Church
This space really makes your goose bump. A very much-decorated burial place below the altar of the Church of Victoria, where the Counts of Buenavista have had their rest since it was built (1705). There is not a single empty space on the walls or even the ceiling. Everything is full of decoration related to death. Skulls and bones, white on black, made this room the perfect background for a Halloween party. Not very commonly seen, it is a unique space really worth a visit.
4. San Miguel Cemetery
This is our favourite cemetery in Malaga. Originally built in 1856, it was placed outside the town, as well as the English cemetery. They don’t bury people here anymore and even it was nearly to be dismantled totally, but luckily the finally didn’t. Here you will find, among others, the burials of wealthy families from the XIX. Great names as Heredia, Larios and all the high-class people of that time were buried here. Nice mausoleums, competing between them for being the most prominent in the cemetery, make this visit a nice and different stroll. There are tombs of many different styles, as they wanted to differ one from each other. Some have been proven to be the same ones as tombs in Père-Lachaise cemetery, Paris, as there was a catalogue of tombs and that time that was made for the rich and famous, and in Malaga there were quite a few. There is a chilling fact in this cemetery that you may find, rests of burned niches where it is presumed to have host some kind of black celebrations… well, it is all about Halloween, isn’t it?
*If you would like to get a special visit to these places, please contact us here.