Benidorm prepares its municipal cemeteries to welcome hundreds of visitors for All Saints’ Day
The City Council has carried out improvements at both cemeteries, increasing the capacity of Sant Jaume Cemetery by adding 176 new burial niches, with an investment of €185,000
Both cemeteries will operate under special opening hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., starting this Thursday, 29 October
Benidorm’s two municipal cemeteries, Verge del Sofratge and Sant Jaume, are now ready to welcome the hundreds of people expected to visit on Sunday, 1 November, for All Saints’ Day, as well as in the days leading up to and following the celebration. As in previous years, the City Council has stepped up the maintenance and improvement work carried out throughout the year at both sites and has introduced special services and opening hours to make access easier for residents of Benidorm and visitors from other municipalities wishing to pay their respects to their loved ones.
This morning, Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez, accompanied by the Councillor for Cemeteries, Jaime Jesús Pérez, several members of the local government and representatives of the Cemetery Commission, visited both sites to review the facilities and inspect the work carried out over the past year, in addition to routine maintenance. The aim, the Mayor explained, is to “ensure that the appropriate facilities and infrastructure are in place to accommodate the large numbers of visitors expected, particularly during these days, and to make access to both cemeteries as convenient and smooth as possible”.
To this end, both cemeteries will operate under special opening hours from Thursday, 29 October, until Sunday, 1 November, remaining open continuously from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, the access road from the CV-70 through the industrial estate to Sant Jaume Cemetery is now open to traffic. An additional area has also been made available for parking alongside the existing public car park to improve traffic flow and make parking easier.
Maintenance and Improvements
In terms of specific improvement works carried out this year, in addition to routine repairs and maintenance, the City Council has increased the capacity of Sant Jaume Cemetery by constructing 176 new burial niches, representing a total investment of nearly €185,000. The perimeter fencing along the N-332 road has also been replaced.
Municipal Technical Services staff and trainees from the Employment Workshop have also carried out a range of general maintenance tasks, including cleaning and clearing the grounds, tending to gardens, cleaning benches and headstones in the modular mausoleum blocks, and cleaning and unblocking drains and drainage channels.
The entrance and reception area have also been refurbished, and accessibility has been improved with the construction of a new ramp to facilitate access for wheelchair users in the newly upgraded entrance area. Paving has been repaired along several paths within the cemetery, and extensive painting work has been carried out on perimeter walls, burial niche blocks, fountains, the chapel, planters and the office area. New water fountains have also been installed.
At Verge del Sofratge Cemetery, the City Council has installed new lighting fixtures on the side walls. The Employment Workshop has also carried out maintenance and cleaning work, including pruning and tending to gardens, cleaning paved areas, benches, railings and lampposts, and maintaining waste containers and stormwater inspection chambers.
In addition, the pergolas have been repaired by replacing damaged wooden boards and reinforcing their structures. Paving and the drainage system have been improved, while walls, planters, litter bins, handrails and other fixtures have been painted and maintained.
Special Services
The Councillor for Cemeteries has also outlined the extended opening hours and special services introduced by the City Council to facilitate travel to and access to the cemeteries. Jaime Jesús Pérez also reminded residents that, due to construction work on the underground car park at Jaime I, access to Verge del Sofratge Cemetery is only possible via Avenida de Nicaragua. The City Council therefore recommends that, wherever possible, people avoid travelling by private car to prevent traffic congestion.
Jaime Jesús Pérez explained that the additional urban bus services to Sant Jaume Cemetery began this Tuesday and will continue until Monday, 2 November. Specifically, from today until Friday, a bus will depart from Avenida Jaime I, near the Bonanza Hotel, at 9.15 a.m., followed by another departure at 9.30 a.m. from the stop on Avenida del Mediterráneo nearest to Plaza de la Hispanidad. Return services from Sant Jaume Cemetery will depart at 12 noon.
Bus services will be increased on 31 October and 2 November, with departures from the same stop on Avenida Jaime I at 10.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., and from Avenida del Mediterráneo at 10.40 a.m., 11.40 a.m., 4.40 p.m. and 5.40 p.m. Return buses from the cemetery will depart at 11 a.m., 12 noon, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
On Sunday, 1 November, All Saints’ Day, buses will depart from Avenida Jaime I at 9.30 a.m., 10.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 1.30 p.m., 2.30 p.m., 3.30 p.m., 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. Services from the stop on Avenida del Mediterráneo will follow the same timetable, departing 10 minutes later, at 9.40 a.m., 10.40 a.m., 11.40 a.m., 12.40 p.m., 1.40 p.m., 2.40 p.m., 3.40 p.m., 4.40 p.m. and 5.40 p.m. Return buses from the cemetery will run at peak times between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
All Saints’ Day Masses will be held on Sunday, 1 November, at Sant Jaume Cemetery at 12.30 p.m. and at Verge del Sofratge Cemetery at 5 p.m. In addition, on Monday, 2 November, All Souls’ Day, Mass will also be celebrated at both cemeteries, with both services taking place at 5 p.m.
