“ The old cemetery of Alghero (1816-1953) ” is the title of the latest book by Giacomo Oppia , a work that will be presented today, April 23, at 7 pm, in the Torre di Sulis as part of the initiatives organised for the “Dia del llibre i de la rosa”, by the Obra Cultural de l'Alguer.
The interesting work highlights the little-known history of the old cemetery of Alghero, built in 1816 for the effects of the Edict of Saint-Cloud, promulgated by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. The Edict, in fact, prohibited, in the name of a new hygienic-sanitary and urban concept, the burial of the deceased in churches and their immediate surroundings. The communities were thus forced to identify more appropriate places, away from inhabited centers, in more airy and sunny spaces but, while many cities in Sardinia slowly adapted to the new impositions, Alghero was the first to give practical implementation to that edict thus determining, not without difficulties and problems, a radical change in the funeral practices in use until then.
With his usual accurate and passionate style, the author explores the historical context, the difficulties of implementation and the social implications of a measure that, although it may seem peripheral in the great history, has a significant relevance to understand the evolutionary path of the city of Alghero and its community. Through his passion for local history, Giacomo Oppia offers a precious testimony of a past that can still be seen in the sculptures and marble tombstones from the old cemetery of Argillera today installed in the new cemetery and fixed in the memory of its citizens.
The author will converse with Giovanni Oliva. The initiative is sponsored by the Alghero Foundation, the Municipality of Alghero, the Alghero office of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the bookshop “Il Labirinto” and the CCNA (Centro Commerciale Naturale Alghero).