ABELLÓ MAUSOLEUM

The Abelló family, originally from the Conca de Barberà region and later settled in the city of Reus, were the first to acquire land in the General Cemetery to establish their mausoleum. They commissioned the project from the Barcelona architect Emili Sardà Cortés and the sculptural ensemble from the Reus artist Joan Roig i Soler. The monument stands on a square parterre enclosed by a decorative wrought-iron fence, with the central structure being an urn supported by a pedestal and topped with an obelisk.

Interestingly, the funerary ensemble of the Abelló family features very few Christian iconographic motifs. From the urn at the centre of the composition to the obelisk that crowns it, along with the allegorical figures in white marble that complete the monument, all the symbolism and formal language draw from the repertoire of antiquity, characteristic of Neoclassicism.

Particular attention should be paid to the classicizing allegorical figures. Nearly life-sized and sculpted in white marble, they serve as guardians of the souls contained within the urn. One can observe an angel with outstretched wings, presenting a very masculine appearance, dressed in a Hellenic tunic. The sculpture of a Roman matron, adorned with long braids and a classical gown, carries the vessel containing the ashes of the deceased.

Another notable feature is the tripod, commonly associated with ancient sacred ceremonies for holding fire, which includes a cauldron with three goat legs on a base decorated with palm trees and Greek motifs, along with three ram heads. The "owls" positioned on the wrought iron fence surrounding the mausoleum are also striking.