The Dead in Lisbon

It is, probably, the most romantic place of Lisbon. Romantic in the sense of romanticism as an aesthetic, contemplative and bucolic movement where, among the aroma of boxwoods and unreadable gravestones, sweet sadness invades us. We speak of the English Cemetery, which should more properly be called the Protestant cemetery, since apart from the Anglophilic community it is also the last address for Dutch, Germans and French Huguenots, for which, prior to the date of the inauguration of this cemetery (1724), burial in the usual places was forbidden as they were considered heretics.

It is at the same time a cemetery for wealthy merchants of the English Lisbon Century Trading Post and for expatriates and adventurers, or forgotten sailors. There are even some that allegedly fell in duels, many other fallen during the Peninsular War, others, exiled for health reasons, sought and did not find a cure for tuberculosis in the mild climate of Lisbon

And then there is the lush vegetation, with wild olivetrees, jacarandas, cypresses, and Judas tree with a lower stratum of boxwoods and butcher’s-broom , habitat for warblers, blackbirds, wrens, tits, treecreepers, parakeets and many others that we will also watch during our visits.