Kiss Of Death – Barcelona
A lifelike marble statue of the kiss of death depicting an angel carrying a man’s soul to heaven, located in a broken down area of the Poblenou Cemetery in Barcelona Spain. The statue was designed by Joan Fontbernat and sculpted by Jaume Barba’s workshop in 1930
Poblenou’s Cemetery is located in the center of Barcelona in the north of Spain. It was built in the mid 18th Century and rebuilt and extended in the 19th Century. It is a labyrinth made up of 3 large sections and the surrounding walls consist of 7 story high Spanish burial niches. The cemetery is filled with extravagant Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic tombs, mausoleums and Gothic chapels built by some of the richest families in Barcelona.
The sculpture is found above the grave of the textile manufacturer Josep Llaudet Soler. and was created in 1930. The tomb underneath contains the inscription:
“His young heart is thus extinguished. The blood in his veins grows cold. And all strength has gone. Faith has been extolled by his fall into the arms of death. Amen.”
The sculpture is often said to have inspired the film The Seventh Seal, by Ingmar Bergman.
