Plans for Poviglio’s cemetery began in 1925 and were entrusted to engineer Napoleone Rossi from Brescello. Construction took place between 1930 and 1935, lasting five years, on a twenty-thousand-square-metre area expropriated from the Corazza family.

This imposing work, - comprising 938 columbaria and 1220 graves -, is rich in symbolism and remarkable for its craftsmanship. The main entrance features a wrought-iron gate depicting a pair of outstretched wings, while a second gate, decorated with a crucifix and tears, leads into the cemetery proper. Here stands the chapel, with its pierced rose window and large white torch-shaped pillars.

The splayed portal is crafted from sculpted Botticino marble, and the lower section of the façade is adorned with bronze high reliefs by the Derani brothers from Brescia: these works depict humanity, bent and prostrate in the mud, finding redemption through faith. 

Italian text and photographs from: Adriano Artoni, Matteo Colla, "Tesori nascosti: quattro secoli fra arte e storia a Poviglio", Correggio, Magellano finebooks, 2014