Champs-Bruley cemetery
The Champs Bruley cemetery is a municipal cemetery located in Besançon between the Chaprais, Bregille, Clairs-Soleis and Vaîtes districts. Opened in 1793 and still active as of 2019, it is the oldest burial ground managed by the city. Although originally established for all the inhabitants of the area, the cemetery was soon rejected by its predominantly Catholic, community due to its uneven topography, isolation and the lack of a nearby church. Thus it quickly became a burial ground for "undesirable citizens", the sick, condemned prisoners and non-Catholics. The cemetery was seen as a de facto Lutheran only burial ground and in 1824 was officially designated as a Lutheran cemetery, following the construction of the Chaprais Cemetery. It became the official cemetery for parish burials until the neutrality laws of 1881, although now legally available to people of all religions the Champs Bruley remains a predominantly Lutheran cemetery.
