The Kiss of Death

"In the peaceful cemetery of Poblenou, located in the East of the city, you will find a magnificent marble carving called 'El Petó de la Mort' translating to The Kiss of Death. The fascinating macabre art piece depicts death as a winged skeleton arching over a young man, extinguishing his life in the form of a gentle kiss. The memorial was created in 1930 to mark the grave of ‘Josep Llaudet Soler’ a young textile manufacturer whose life was taken too soon. If you look closely you will see a verse chiselled on the base of the tombstone, displaying a poem by Jacinto Verdaguer, a well-known Catalonian poet, which translates to: “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”. It is said that Soler’s father took the poem to the workshop of Jaume Barba and requested that the sculpture be a visual representation of this macabre poetic verse. If you inspect the side of the monument you will see an inscription displaying Jaume Barba’s name, leading you to believe he is the sculptor behind the work, but many attribute the design to Barba's son-in-law Joan Fontbernat. This thought-provoking piece provides one of the finest examples of memento mori I found whilst visiting Barcelona. It stirs a mixture of emotions upon viewing, but reminds the viewer that death is not something to be feared but instead you should embrace the inevitability of your demise, whilst all the while reflecting on one’s own mortality. At the bottom of the monument, you will find a small bench where you can sit and admire the masterful technique and attention to detail, which has gone into making this such a touching and celebrated funerary statue. You will uncover the Kiss of Death tucked away in the Northeast corner of the cemetery surrounded by many other unique and fascinating monuments. It may be the most iconic sculpture to observe, but make sure you allow some time to wander around the rest of this historic cemetery, where you will discover numerous neoclassical mausoleums, gothic chapels and wall upon wall of terraced burial niches. "