Now that Barcelona and the rest of the world are already at the end of the pandemic tunnel, it is a good time to remember that 200 years ago the Catalan capital also suffered a devastating yellow fever epidemic that claimed the lives of thousands of citizens. A monument in the Poblenou cemetery testifies to this.
The disease was declared at the beginning of August 1821 through a ship arriving at the port from Cuba that initially spread through the Barceloneta neighborhood, which registered four deaths in the first days. At first, the authorities considered that the disease was not contagious, which favored the spread of the epidemic by having only low-intensity controls. At the same time, ships leaving the port for Tortosa and Palma de Mallorca brought yellow fever to these towns and their surroundings.
At the end of August, the dead rose to 57, which is why some enclosures were set up as pest control hospitals and Barceloneta was confined. The entry and exit of the fishermen’s neighborhood was limited to health, religious and charity personnel. In September, some authorities and essential services were moved out of the city. Thus, the Court was installed in Vic; Correos, in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, and the authorities marched to Esparreguera. Only the mayor and councilors remained in the city.
At the beginning of October, the deceased already rose to 800, to which 200 victims were added every day. Terror spread throughout the city. The situation could not be stabilized until the end of November and the epidemic was considered over at Christmas. It is difficult to calculate the total number of dead, it varies according to the sources. The most rigorous speak of between 6,000 and 8,000 deaths, but others raise the figure to 20,000.
In 1895, the current monument was erected in the Poblenou cemetery, replacing an original one from 1823. It is made of white marble and has a classic design, crowned by a column and a cross. A plaque on each of the four sides remembers the victims. One refers to the councilors of the City Council who died of yellow fever, and the other two to the doctors and religious who fought against the epidemic.
From then on, Barcelona established rigorous precautions. Ships from tropical areas, where yellow fever is endemic, were quarantined upon arrival. Even so, in 1870 a new outbreak was recorded.
