Málaga English Cemetery Tours and Activities

On a hillside overlooking the city, Málaga’s English Cemetery is the largest non-Roman Catholic Christian cemetery on mainland Spain. Until the 19th century, and with Spain as a highly religious Catholic society, Protestants who passed away in Málaga were thrown into the sea. An English diplomat established the cemetery as an alternative to this practice.

There’s a small Anglican chapel with Doric columns on the grounds, as well as a gatehouse and well-maintained botanical gardens. Visitors can view more than 1,000 historic tombstones in both Gothic and modernist styles, many of which belong to expatriates who lived in Andalusia. Most famous tombstones belong to non-Spanish poets and writers, though there are a few non-Catholic Spanish graves as well. Originally on an isolated plot of land, today it surrounded by the city but remains a peaceful place of rest and a beautiful escape from urban life.