| La Recoleta Cemetery | |
 Entrance to the cemetery. |
|
| Cemetery Details | |
|---|---|
| Country: | Argentina |
| Location: | Buenos Aires |
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The layout of the cemetery was designed by the French engineer Próspero Catelin, and was remodeled in 1881, while Torcuato de Alvear was mayor of the city, by the Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo.
The Cemetery includes graves of some of the most influential and important Argentinians, including several presidents, scientists, and wealthy characters. Internationally, Eva Perón is the best-known person buried in this cemetery.
The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Greek columns. The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles. The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums.
While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair. Several can be found with broken glass and littered with rubbish.
Each mausoleum bears the family name etched into the facade; brass or bronze plaques are added to the front for particular family members. La Recoleta is one of those cemeteries where the tradition of engraving a death date but no birth date has been maintained.
The cemetery was featured in the educational film Destinos as the final resting spot of a wife of the main character.
Notable internments
Some of the famous interred are:
- Juan Bautista Alberdi (1810-1884), writer, politician, lawyer
- Leandro Alem (1844-1896) politician
- Raul Alfonsin (1927-2009), president
- Luis César Amadori (1902-1977), poet, composer
- Nicolás Avellaneda (1837-1885), president
- William Brown (admiral) (1777-1857), admiral, father of the Argentine Navy
- Luis Carniglia, (1917-2001), a football striker and manager
- Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914-1999), writer
- Miguel Juárez Celman (1844-1909), president
- Isabel Walewski Colonna (1847), grandchild of Napoleón Bonaparte, born in Buenos Aires and died aged 6 days.
- Juan Manuel de Rosas (1793-1877), governor of Buenos Aires, caudillo
- Luis Firpo (1894-1960), heavyweight boxer, "The Wild Bull of the Pampas"
- Oliverio Girondo (1891-1967), poet, journalist
- José Hernandez (1834-1886), writer
- Arturo Umberto Illia (1900-1983), president
- Carlos Saavedra Lamas (1878-1959), statesman, Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Enrique Larreta (1875-1961), writer
- Juan Lavalle (1797-1841), general, governor of Buenos Aires province
- Luis F. Leloir (1906-1987), scientist, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry
- Cándido López (1840-1902), painter and soldier
- Vicente López y Planes (1785-1856), lyrcist, politician
- Leopoldo Lugones (1874-1938), writer
- Eduardo Mallea (1903-1982), novelist, essayist
- Carlos Menditeguy (1915-1973), race car driver and sportsman
- Bartolomé Mitre (1821-1906), writer, president
- Victoria Ocampo (1890-1979), writer, publisher
- Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993), writer, painter
- Carlos Pellegrini (1846-1906), president
- Luis Piedrabuena (1833-1883), explorer
- Maria Eva Duarte de Perón (1919-1952), First Lady of Argentina, political leader, philanthropist
- Honorio Pueyrredón (1876-1945), educator, statesman
- Juan Pujol, the first governor of the Province of Corrientes and designer of the first Argentine national stamp
- Dante Quinterno (1909-2003), cartoonist
- Juan Facundo Quiroga (1790-1835), caudillo (subject of the book Facundo; Sarmiento's most famous work; his remains were only recently discovered in the cemetery)
- Domingo Sarmiento (1811-1888), writer, former president
- Hipólito Yrigoyen (1852-1933), politician, former president
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cementerio de la Recoleta |
External links
- Ciudad de Angeles, Historia del Cementerio de la Recoleta - Omar Lopez Mato
- Video on La Recoleta Cemetery
- Picture gallery from South-America including a slideshow from the Recoleta Cemetery
- AfterLife, blog about Recoleta Cemetery in English
- The Recoleta Cemetery Guide
Coordinates: 34°35′17″S 58°23′35″W / 34.58806°S 58.39306°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
