La Recoleta Cemetery

Cemetery located in Buenos Aires, Argentina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

La Recoleta Cemetery (Spanish: Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, the founder of the Argentine Navy, and military commanders such as Julio Argentino Roca. In 2011, the BBC hailed it as one of the world's best cemeteries,[5] and in 2013, CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the world.[6]

Established1822[1]
Location
Junín 1760,[2] Buenos Aires
CountryArgentina
Coordinates34°35′17″S 58°23′35″W
Quick facts Details, Established ...
La Recoleta Cemetery
Cementerio de la Recoleta
Aerial view of the cemetery
Interactive map of La Recoleta Cemetery
Details
Established1822[1]
Location
Junín 1760,[2] Buenos Aires
CountryArgentina
Coordinates34°35′17″S 58°23′35″W
TypePublic
Size5.5 hectares (14 acres)[3]
No. of graves4691 vaults[4]
Find a GraveLa Recoleta Cemetery
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History

View of the cemetery in 1841.

Franciscan Recollect monks (los recoletos)[7] arrived in this area, then the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in the early eighteenth century. The cemetery is built around the Recollect Convent (Convento de la Recoleta)[8] and a church, Our Lady of the Pillar (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar), built in 1732.

The order was disbanded in 1822, and the garden of the convent converted into the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires. Inaugurated on 17 November of the same year under the name of Cementerio del Norte (Northern Cemetery),[9] those responsible for its creation were the then-Governor Martin Rodríguez, who would be eventually buried in the cemetery, and government minister Bernardino Rivadavia.[1]

The 1822 layout was done by French civil engineer Próspero Catelin, who also designed the current facade of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral.[10] The cemetery was last remodeled in 1881, while Torcuato de Alvear was mayor of the city, by the Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo.[11]

Description

Set in 5.5 hectares (14 acres),[3] the site contains 4691 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments by the Argentine government and are protected by the state.[4] The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Doric columns.[12] The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic,[13] and most materials used between 1880 and 1930 in the construction of tombs were imported from Paris and Milan.[14] The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums. These mausoleums are still being used by rich families in Argentina that have their own vault and keep their deceased there. While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair.[15] Several can be found with broken glass and littered with rubbish. Among many memorials are works by notable Argentine sculptors, Lola Mora and Luis Perlotti for instance.[16] The tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak, due to its unusual design, is of special interest.[17]

View of one of the alleys

The cemetery also hosts a colony of stray cats which has also become an attraction. As of 2024, the resident feline population has decreased from a peak of 60 in the 1960s to about 12 due to adoption drives.[18]

Notable interments

View of the domes.
Mausoleum of President Carlos Pellegrini.
Mausoleum of Tomas Devoto
Mausoleum of Dr. Virgilio Tedín
Liza Minnelli visiting tomb of First Lady Eva Perón in 1993
Mausoleum of Dorrego-Ortiz Basualdo family
Mausoleum of Leandro N. Alem
Mausoleum of Manuel J. Campos.
Mausoleum of Salvador Maria del Carril
Mausoleum of Lartigau family
Mausoleum of Ramón L Falcón
Tomb of Rufina Cambaceres
Tomb of Juan Bautista Alberdi
Mausoleum of Nobel Prize laureate Luis Federico Leloir.
Mausoleum of General Luis María Campos, designed by French sculptor Jules Coutan.[19]
Mausoleum of Dr Francisco Javier Muñiz (1807–1871) hero of the Yellow Fever epidemic in Buenos Aires.
Tomb of General Miguel Estanislao Soler.
Mausoleum of President Nicolás Avellaneda, devised by the aforementioned French sculptor Jules Coutan.[16][19]
Mausoleum of statesman, diplomat, and journalist José Clemente Paz, created by French sculptor Jules Coutan.[16][19]
Mausoleum of Atilio Massone
Mausoleum of President Manuel Quintana
Tomb of President Roque Sáenz Peña.
Tomb of Francisco Gómez
Boy angel statue
More information Birth, Death ...
Birth Death Personality Notes Ref(s)
1914 1999 Adolfo Bioy Casares Fiction writer, journalist, translator, and Miguel de Cervantes Prize recipient. [20][21]
1876 1943 Agustín Pedro Justo President of Argentina. [22]
1921 2012 Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Businesswoman and philanthropist. [23]
1805 1871 Anthony Dominic Fahy Catholic priest, missionary and head of the Irish community in Argentina (1844–1871) [20]
1914 1981 Armando Bó Actor, film director, and screenwriter. [20]
1900 1983 Arturo Umberto Illia President of Argentina. [22][24][25]
1821 1906 Bartolomé Mitre President of Argentina. [22][26][27]
1840 1902 Cándido López Soldier, painter, and student of Italian artist Baldassare Verazzi. [28]
1827 1918 Carlos Guido y Spano Poet. [29]
1789 1852 Carlos María de Alvear Soldier, statesman, and Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. [30]
1846 1906 Carlos Pellegrini President of Argentina. [22][31]
1878 1959 Carlos Saavedra Lamas Academic, politician, and the first Latin American Nobel Peace Prize recipient. [20]
1759 1829 Cornelio Saavedra President of the First Assembly and military officer. [32][33]
1758 1820 Cosme Argerich Military physician. [34]
1800 1875 Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield Lawyer, politician, and writer of the Civil Code of Argentina. [33]
1811 1888 Domingo Faustino Sarmiento President of Argentina. [22][29][35]
1896 1956 Eduardo Lonardi President of Argentina. [36]
1903 1982 Eduardo Mallea Essayist, cultural critic, writer, and diplomat. [37]
1844 1913 Eduardo Wilde Physician, politician, and writer. [38]
1875 1951 Elpidio González Politician and Vice President of Argentina. [39]
1919 1952 Eva Perón First Lady of Argentina and founder of the Eva Perón Foundation. [20][35][40]
1788 1835 Facundo Quiroga Caudillo and subject of the book Facundo, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's most prominent work. [41][42][43]
1785 1827 Federico de Brandsen French-born Colonel. [44]
1835 1899 Federico Lacroze Businessman and railway entrepreneur. [45]
1795 1871 Francisco Javier Muñiz Argentine physician, naturalist and politician [20]
1821 1890 Guillermo Rawson Physician and politician. [46]
1852 1933 Hipólito Yrigoyen President of Argentina. [22][24][25]
1847 1847 Isabelle Colonna-Walewski Daughter of Count Alexandre Colonna-Walewski and grandchild of Napoleon. [47][48]
1842 1912 José Clemente Paz Statesman, diplomat, and journalist. [19][49]
1860 1931 José Figueroa Alcorta President of Argentina. [22]
1834 1886 José Hernández Journalist, politician, poet, and creator of Argentina's national epic, the Martín Fierro. [20][50]
1910 1975 José María Guido President of Argentina. [22]
1758 1833 Juan José Paso Politician and member of the First Assembly, the First Triumvirate, and the Second Triumvirate. [51]
1797 1841 Juan Lavalle General and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. [42][52]
1793 1877 Juan Manuel de Rosas Brigadier and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Initially buried at Southampton Old Cemetery in the United Kingdom, repatriated in 1989. [26][35][53]
1843 1914 Julio Argentino Roca President of Argentina. [22][54]
1841 1896 Leandro Nicéforo Alem Politician. [24][25][39]
1874 1938 Leopoldo Lugones Writer and journalist. [21]
1831 1913 Lucio Victorio Mansilla General, writer, journalist, politician, and diplomat. [29]
1894 1960 Luis Ángel Firpo Professional boxer and the first Latin American to challenge for the world heavyweight champion title. [20][50]
1906 1987 Luis Federico Leloir Biochemist, physician, and the first Spanish-speaking Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate. [20][42][55]
1838 1907 Luis María Campos General and founder of the Escuela Superior de Guerra (Superior School of War). [49][56]
1822 1907 Luis Sáenz Peña President of Argentina. [22]
1791 1871 Luis Vernet German-born merchant of Huguenot descent and the first Argentine appointed as Governor of Puerto Luis (nowadays the Falkland Islands). [57]
1787 1828 Manuel Dorrego Military officer and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Mausoleum designed by Carlo Zucchi. [42]
1835 1906 Manuel Quintana President of Argentina. [22]
1868 1942 Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear President of Argentina. [22]
1887 1970 Mariette Lydis Austrian-born painter and illustrator. [37]
1786 1868 Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson Patriot. [35][58]
1922 1991 Martín Karadagian Actor, professional wrestler, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inductee. [20]
1851 1905 Miguel Cané Writer, lawyer, academic, journalist, and politician. [50]
1754 1833 Miguel de Azcuénaga General, politician, and member of the First Assembly. [59]
1783 1849 Miguel Estanislao Soler General and politician. [60]
1837 1885 Nicolás Avellaneda President of Argentina. [22][26]
1891 1967 Oliverio Girondo Poet. [20][21][61]
1859 1936 Pablo Ricchieri Military officer and Minister of War. [62]
1848 1929 Paul Groussac French-born writer, literary critic, historian, and librarian. [20]
1903 1970 Pedro Eugenio Aramburu President of Argentina. [63]
1927 2009 Raúl Alfonsín President of Argentina. [22][24][25]
1926 2016 María Lorenza Barreneche First Lady of Argentina. Widow of Raúl Alfonsín. [64][65]
1797 1823 Remedios de Escalada Wife of libertador José de San Martín. [35]
1851 1914 Roque Sáenz Peña President of Argentina. [22]
1903 1993 Silvina Ocampo Poet, translator, and writer. [20]
1802 1869 Valentín Alsina Governor of Buenos Aires Province. [33]
1785 1856 Vicente López y Planes Poet, politician, and creator of the lyrics of the Argentine National Anthem. [66]
1890 1979 Victoria Ocampo Writer, intellectual, and the first woman admitted to the Argentine Academy of Letters. [20][50]
1840 1919 Victorino de la Plaza President of Argentina. [22]
1883 1902 Rufina Cambaceres Possible example of premature burial. [35][42]
1777 1857 William Brown Irish-born Admiral and founder of the Argentine Navy. [67][68]
1856 1902 Zenón Rolón Musician and composer. [69]
1920 1999 Zully Moreno Actress. [20]
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References

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