Beautiful Cemeteries Around the World
GettyBonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia
Those of you who remember the '90s will recognize this cemetery as the one featured in the novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Like the book, the cemetery itself has a Southern Gothic atmosphere, with Spanish moss giving shade to time-worn Victorian monuments. There are many notable figures buried here, like singer Johnny Mercer and poet Conrad Aiken, but it's Gracie Watson who most deserves a visit. Having died at just six years old, her grave is marked by a life-size marble statue with her hand resting on a tree stump, symbolizing her life cut short. Visitors often leave toys at her gravesite.
GettyCemetery at Katholische Pfarre Hallstatt, Austria
The cemetery at the Hallstatt Catholic Church may look like a perfect final resting spot, overlooking the Hallstätter See—a picturesque lake near the ancient village of Hallstatt. Sadly, however, nothing here was very "final." Since space was at such a premium in the tiny cemetery, bodies were removed from the graves—sometimes after as little as ten years—so new ones could be buried in their place. The old skulls were neatly stacked on shelves in the Beinhaus, or Bone House, in the twelfth-century St. Michael's Chapel. Today, you can still see 1,200 skulls on display.
AlamyWaverley Cemetery, Sydney, Australia
Sydney's cliffside cemetery sets the gleaming white marble of the Victorian and Edwardian monuments against the blue of the water beyond. With views like that, it's easy to see why more than 80,000 interments have taken place here since the cemetery was founded in 1877. It's a favorite of poets, as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Louis Beck, and Victor Daly are all buried here. After you've explored the 40-plus acres of statues and monuments, find the path that links up with a scenic cliffside walk that stretches all the way to Bondi Beach.
GettyOkunoin Cemetery, Mount Kōya, Japan
Mount Kōya is not one single mountain—it’s a group of several closely-clustered mountains in Japan’s Wakayama prefecture, about two hours south of Osaka. Populated by Buddhist monks since around the year 800, this site is considered the center of the Kōyasan Shingon sect of Buddhism. It’s also the home to Okunoin, the largest cemetery in Japan, where an estimated 200,000 graves surround a mausoleum dedicated to Kobo Daishi, the sect’s founder. Most of the graves here are marked by stones and small statues, including several of Jiko, the deity who is said to protect women, children, and travelers. Unlike other cemeteries, Okunoin encourages people to visit at night, and even hosts temple stays in the area for people who would like to spend more time there. The Mount Kōya complex is part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage site, "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.”
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GettyMount of Olives Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel
For centuries, the cemetery at the Mount of Olives has been an important Jewish burial ground, and you can see more than 100,000 grave markers lining the slope. (Don't let the coffin-like shapes of the gravestones fool you—the bodies are buried underground). The Mount also has tremendous Biblical significance. Jesus is thought to have walked down the slope on the first Palm Sunday; it's also said he was arrested at the foot of the mountain in the Garden of Gethsemane. But even those without any ties to these religious traditions have reason to visit the Mount of Olives: from the top, you can get a panoramic view of the Jerusalem's Old City.
GettyCimitirul Vesel, Săpânţa, Romania
When you put the words "death" and "Romania" together, it usually conjures up images of dark, gothic, Dracula-inspired scenery. But Săpânţa's Cimitirul Vesel—or the "Merry Cemetery" in English—is anything but gloomy. The sky-blue graves here are marked with hand-carved, intricately-painted crosses, then adorned with an image of the person below and a poem about his or her life. But there's no hagiography here: the poems seek to represent the true life of the deceased, and drinking problems, infidelity, and other less-than-flattering traits are fair game for Dumitru Pop, the crosses' creator.
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Sigfrid LópezCementerio de la Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Don't cry for those buried here, Argentina—the Cementerio de la Recoleta is posh enough to be the final resting place of famed Argentine first lady Eva Perón. It's beautiful, with narrow alleys lined with mausoleums adorned with intricate carvings. If you can tear yourself away from the monuments—and don't get lost within them, as they're so tall and close together, it's easy to lose your way—the ritzy surrounding neighborhood is full of mansions that'll give the living real estate envy.
GettyCimitière du Père-Lachaise, Paris, France
With its wide boulevards, picturesque trees, and towering monuments, Père-Lachaise is the forever home of the crème de la crème of Parisian society: the grave sites of Édith Piaf, Frédéric Chopin, Molière, Honoré de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Oscar Wilde are all in this 118-acre cemetery. Skip trying to find Jim Morrison's unassuming monument and instead hunt for that of journalist Victor Noir, marked by an impressive life-size bronze statue. Urban legend says that rubbing the statue prevents infertility, and you can see from the shine of Noir's pants that many visitors have taken this myth to heart.
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GettyHighgate Cemetery, London, U.K.
Filled with atmospheric, imposing Victorian monuments, the Highgate Cemetery is evocative of nineteenth-century London. The cemetery is divided into two sections; the West Cemetery features the most impressive architecture, including Egypt-inspired obelisks and tombs, brick and cast-iron catacombs, and the Circle of Lebanon (pictured), a partially subterranean circle of mausoleums that surround an old cedar tree. The East Cemetery doesn't have as many grand-scale designs, but it's where you can find some of the more famous graves, including those belonging to Karl Marx, George Eliot, and Patrick Caulfield.
AlamyChichicastenango Cemetery, Guatemala
The Mayans believed that to honor the dead, the living must make peace with the inevitability of death; and the afterlife is highly celebrated in Guatemalan culture. Perhaps this explains why the Chichicastenango Cemetery, located about 90 miles northwest of Guatemala City, looks more like a colorful playground than a dreary place of mourning. The brightly painted crosses and mausoleums don't just look beautiful, however—they also often symbolize the family status of the person buried beneath them (turquoise for mothers, yellow for grandfathers, etc.). The kaleidoscopic burial site becomes crowded with the living during Dia de los Muertos, when townspeople gather to burn incense, lay flowers, and commemorate the holiday.
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Randy Duchaine / AlamyGreen-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
Green-Wood Cemetery has been a destination for travelers starting shortly after its opening. It was founded in 1830, and by the early 1860s, it was attracting nearly 500,000 visitors annually. They came to see the Gothic main gates, the impressive chapel, the trees and ponds, the detailed statuary, and the graves of notable celebrities. Here, you can see the resting places of the famous (Leonard Bernstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany) and the infamous (Boss Tweed, Bill "The Butcher" Poole). The location of the cemetery has historical significance, as well. During the Revolutionary War, it was the site of the Battle of Brooklyn. The spot where the battle took place boasts the highest natural elevation in the borough, and today it's marked with a statue of Roman goddess Minerva. If you look out from her raised hand, you can see she's waving at the Statue of Liberty.
AlamyCimitero Monumentale, Milan, Italy
With stunning architecture and hundreds of statues, Milan's Monumental Cemetery feels more like an open-air museum than a burial site. Built in the nineteenth century to consolidate smaller cemeteries around the city into one location, the site soon became a place for Milan's richest families to display their wealth, one-upping each other with showy tombs complete with mausoleums and sculptures. One highlight is the 'Famedio,' the monumental edifice at the entrance whose frescoed vaults, Byzantine architecture, and colorful windows give a sign of the opulence to come. Another must-see is the 3-D bronze replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper that marks the tomb of the Campari family (of aperitif fame). Guided tours are available.
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Getty Images/iStockphotoDissidents' Cemetery, Valparaiso, Chile
Although the word "dissident" seems like a clue that this Valparaiso cemetery is related to Chile's Pinochet years, that’s not the case—"dissident" was a word that meant "anyone who does not practice Roman Catholicism." This gives the graves here a broad and fascinating scope, as the cemetery, established in 1825, includes tombstones written in English, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, and other languages, hinting at the kinds of immigrants, explorers, and travelers who passed through this port city. Located on the top of Panteón Hill, Dissidents' Cemetery offers gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and of the brightly-colored houses that Valparaiso is famous for.
Andreas Wincent / AlamySkogskyrkogården (Woodland Cemetery), Stockholm, Sweden
Don't come here expecting huge mausoleums: When Skogskyrkogården was named to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994, the Stockholm site was praised for its "blend of vegetation and architectural elements." Architects Gunnar Asplund (who also designed Stockholm’s dreamy public library) and Sigurd Lewerentz created a stark, bucolic garden where graves are marked simply and without fuss. As a result, the cemetery—as well as the three chapels of Faith, Hope, and the Holy Cross—has an almost mystical feel. The winding paths among tall trees and wildflowers give a sense of unrestricted nature, where death is just part of the cycle instead of a big ceremony. Film buffs might recognize Skogskyrkogården from another context, though—it's where Lisbeth Salander visits her mother's grave in the third and final installment of the Swedish-language Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies.