Plink plink. Plink plink plink. Plink. The rain was making music, as it hit one of many (lit) glass candles that were on the ground in front of the wall niches. It wasn’t a sound I had ever really heard before at a cemetery, but this sound followed me as I walked around the edges, close to the walls. The sound also made me take a closer look at those candles, still burning in the rain, and it made me wonder how long they were good for (something to research I guess).

Holding flowers
Holding an urn

The Prado do Repouso (“Meadow of Rest”) is one of Porto’s great cemeteries, filled with very tall family mausolea throughout the grounds. It was the first of Porto’s great public cemeteries (Agramonte was the second), although it wasn’t very popular in the beginning (a familiar tune). At the time, the more prestigious (and private) Lapa cemetery was preferred, but it was a smaller cemetery on a hill, and as larger monuments became popular in the mid-19th century, people turned to Prado do Repouso as a place to build them.

Multiple symbols
Looking through

One thing I like about visiting cemeteries in spring, is the flowers. And this place was filled with them – especially magnolia trees, which were in full bloom when I was here. There’s something quite calming about walking through a pathway of flower petals.

Close-up
A peaceful path

Overall this cemetery felt a bit bigger and not as crowded as Agramonte, but overall I felt the quality of the monuments and statues to be about the same. However, by the time I visited here later in the day, the rain and the wind had picked up, which made it difficult for me to really enjoy being here, or to take the time to explore it properly.

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Monuments: Some interesting statues and memorials, but nothing spectacular. The statue that is the featured image of this blog post was also at Agramonte.

Grounds: Brick pathways made it easy to get around.

Visitors: Despite the weather, there were a few people here.

Notes: To really enjoy this place, come on a nice day.

DETAILS

Cemetery: Prado do Repouso

Established: 1839

Location: Largo do Padre Baltazar Guedes, s / n, 4300-059 Porto

Hours: 08:30-17:00, to 18:00 on November 1st and 2nd