MONUMENT TO JOSEP SARDÀ I CAILÀ

At the central crossroads between the first and second sections of the General Cemetery of Reus stands the Monument to Josep Sardà i Cailà. Sardà i Cailà, a lawyer and politician from Reus, dedicated a significant portion of his estate to the construction of this cemetery. The monument, created in the late 19th century in an eclectic style, has a stone base that resembles an altar (though it isn’t one), with a square foundation.

As you walk up the central avenue, you'll see the front of the pedestal, where the first inscription names Sardà i Cailà as the cemetery’s founder. The sides of the monument are decorated with triumphal motifs, including garlands and funerary wreaths, honouring this benefactor from Reus. The monument holds not only Sardà i Cailà’s remains but also those of his brother, who rests beside him. Their gravestones are made from single pieces of curved stone, with no inscriptions.

Rising from the pedestal is a column with four attached pilasters and Corinthian capitals adorned with lilies. These support the funerary cross that crowns the structure. The cross, in the Latin style, features Christ’s monogram inscribed within a circle at the centre.