A Pinay in Europe

Archive for the 'Urban Exploration' Category

January 11th 2012

The Abandoned Cemetery of Fontan

Long before I came across the term “urban exploration”, my fascination about abandoned structures for purposes of photography was already rife. How I used to take delight in taking shots of Spanish church ruins in my country, the overgrown cemeteries in the islands which have been forgotten by time and by the departed’s family, even those old factories that have been closed down and condemned.

This weird interest would continue and when I discovered the essence of “Urban Exploration” from the photo magazines I subscribed to, this fascination turned to passion! Abandoned structures are great photographic subjects. They speak of history. They serve as my connection to a bygone era.

So when H and I went for our after-lunch walk yesterday and passed by this ancient and abandoned cemetery of our village, my excitement started rising! We stumbled upon this spot a couple of years ago but that was in the summer when the entire grounds was in itself buried under the wild vegetation. We could barely see the centuries old tombs much less walk through the thorned overgrowth. Today, the place seemed to have just been recently cleared, thanks to the Mairie (local authorities) except for the side areas where few headstones and rusting grave iron fencing are peeking out from the course shrubbery.

A neighbour in her 90s who grew up in the village told us that the Mayor’s office decided to close down this cemetery because of rock erosion which could pose danger to visitors. Indeed, while I was standing on that spot trying to photograph a headstone, I heard a rock crashing down next to me and when I looked, it was just inches away…I quickly ran for my life!

The burial ground ’s position at the foot of a rocky hill could have been a lovely and peaceful setting except that the rocks became unsteady and started crumbling down so a new cemetery was created just few hundred meters away.

This thickly invaded grave seems to be crying out to be cleared.

It is crying in Latin…

This one is engraved in Italian owing to the village’s history of once a part of Italy. The triangular roofing is typical to snow-prone mountainous regions such as ours. It symbolizes protection from the falling snow.