La Recoleta Cemetery

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:For Template:Infobox cemetery La Recoleta Cemetery (Template:Langx) 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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in 2013, CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the world.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

History

File:Cementerio de la Recoleta - Buenos Aires, según Pellegrini.tif

View of the cemetery in 1841.

Franciscan Recollect monks ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> arrived in this area, then the outskirts of Buenos Aires, in the early eighteenth century. The cemetery is built around the Recollect Convent ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and a church, Our Lady of the Pillar ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Northern Cemetery),<ref>Template:Cite book </ref> those responsible for its creation were the then-Governor Martin Rodríguez, who would be eventually buried in the cemetery, and government minister Bernardino Rivadavia.<ref name="RodríguezRivadavia1822"/>

The 1822 layout was done by French civil engineer Próspero Catelin, who also designed the current facade of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The cemetery was last remodeled in 1881, while Torcuato de Alvear was mayor of the city, by the Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref>

Description

Set in Template:Convert,<ref name="Size">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Vaults">Template:Cite news</ref> The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Doric columns.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and most materials used between 1880 and 1930 in the construction of tombs were imported from Paris and Milan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Sculptors">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} </ref> The tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak, due to its unusual design, is of special interest.<ref name="TheNewYorkTimes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:La Recoleta Cemetery (8081434317).jpg

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notable interments

File:Argentina, Recoleta cemetery, looking up at tombs.jpg

View of the domes.

File:Sepulcro Pellegrini Recoleta.jpg

Mausoleum of President Carlos Pellegrini.

File:Recoleta 078.jpg

Mausoleum of Tomas Devoto

File:La Recoleta Cemetery by Mardetanha 1949.JPG

Mausoleum of Dr. Virgilio Tedín

File:Liza Minnelli visits the tomb of Eva Peron, 1993.jpg

Liza Minnelli visiting tomb of First Lady Eva Perón in 1993

File:La Recoleta Cemetery by Mardetanha 1959.JPG

Mausoleum of Dorrego-Ortiz Basualdo family

File:Leandro N. Alem 2.jpg

Mausoleum of Leandro N. Alem

File:Recoleta 081.jpg

Mausoleum of Manuel J. Campos.

File:Recoleta 087.jpg

Mausoleum of Salvador Maria del Carril

File:La Recoleta Cemetery-Lartigau's mausoleum.JPG

Mausoleum of Lartigau family

File:Sepulcro de Ramón L Falcón.jpg

Mausoleum of Ramón L Falcón

File:Tomb of Rufina Cambaceres at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires (15756923387).png

Tomb of Rufina Cambaceres

File:JBAlberdi.jpg

Tomb of Juan Bautista Alberdi

File:Buenos Aires - Cementerio de la Recoleta - 20090104-12.jpg

Mausoleum of Nobel Prize laureate Luis Federico Leloir.

File:Recoleta 076.jpg

Mausoleum of General Luis María Campos, designed by French sculptor Jules Coutan.<ref name="JoséClementePaz"/>

File:Sepulcro de Francisco Javier Muñiz 1..JPG

Mausoleum of Dr Francisco Javier Muñiz (1807–1871) hero of the Yellow Fever epidemic in Buenos Aires.

File:BA Necropolis 2012-05-24 038.JPG

Tomb of General Miguel Estanislao Soler.

File:Sepulcro Histórico Nicolás Avellaneda.jpg

Mausoleum of President Nicolás Avellaneda, devised by the aforementioned French sculptor Jules Coutan.<ref name="Sculptors"/><ref name="JoséClementePaz"/>

File:Recoleta Cemetery (2).jpg

Mausoleum of statesman, diplomat, and journalist José Clemente Paz, created by French sculptor Jules Coutan.<ref name="Sculptors"/><ref name="JoséClementePaz"/>

File:Buenos aires recoleta bistolfi massone DSC 3459.jpg

Mausoleum of Atilio Massone

File:Domingo Faustino Sarmiento 3.jpg

Mausoleum of President Manuel Quintana

File:WLM2013 SepulcroSaenzPeña (1).JPG

Tomb of President Roque Sáenz Peña.

File:Buenos aires recoleta gomez 4 DSC 3425.jpg

Tomb of Francisco Gómez

Birth	Death	Personality		Notes	Ref(s)
1914	1999	Template:Sort	Adolfo Bioy Casares	Fiction writer, journalist, translator, and Miguel de Cervantes Prize recipient.	<ref name="Personalities"/><ref name="LugonesGirondoBioy"/>
1876	1943	Template:Sort	Agustín Pedro Justo	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1921	2012	Template:Sort	Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat	Businesswoman and philanthropist.	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1805	1871	Template:Sort	Anthony Dominic Fahy	Catholic priest, missionary and head of the Irish community in Argentina (1844–1871)	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1914	1981	Template:Sort	Armando Bó	Actor, film director, and screenwriter.	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1900	1983	Template:Sort	Arturo Umberto Illia	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref name="CIDOB"/><ref name="LaNación"/>
1821	1906	Template:Sort	Bartolomé Mitre	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref name="Clarín"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1840	1902	Template:Sort	Cándido López	Soldier, painter, and student of Italian artist Baldassare Verazzi.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1827	1918	Template:Sort	Carlos Guido y Spano	Poet.	<ref name="SarmientoGuidoMansilla"/>
1789	1852	Template:Sort	Carlos María de Alvear	Soldier, statesman, and Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1846	1906	Template:Sort	Carlos Pellegrini	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1878	1959	Template:Sort	Carlos Saavedra Lamas	Academic, politician, and the first Latin American Nobel Peace Prize recipient.	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1759	1829	Template:Sort	Cornelio Saavedra	President of the First Assembly and military officer.	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NationalHistoricalMonuments"/>
1758	1820	Template:Sort	Cosme Argerich	Military physician.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1800	1875	Template:Sort	Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield	Lawyer, politician, and writer of the Civil Code of Argentina.	<ref name="NationalHistoricalMonuments"/>
1811	1888	Template:Sort	Domingo Faustino Sarmiento	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref name="SarmientoGuidoMansilla">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CityGovernment"/>
1896	1956	Template:Sort	Eduardo Lonardi	President of Argentina.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1903	1982	Template:Sort	Eduardo Mallea	Essayist, cultural critic, writer, and diplomat.	<ref name="DanielGoldschläger"/>
1844	1913	Template:Sort	Eduardo Wilde	Physician, politician, and writer.	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1875	1951	Template:Sort	Elpidio González	Politician and Vice President of Argentina.	<ref name="AlemGonzález">Template:Cite book </ref>
1919	1952	Template:Sort	Eva Perón	First Lady of Argentina and founder of the Eva Perón Foundation.	<ref name="Personalities">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CityGovernment"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1788	1835	Template:Sort	Facundo Quiroga	lang}} and subject of the book Facundo, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's most prominent work.	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="RominaSmith"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1785	1827	Template:Sort	Federico de Brandsen	French-born Colonel.	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1835	1899	Template:Sort	Federico Lacroze	Businessman and railway entrepreneur.	<ref>¿Quien Fue Federico? (1835–1899) – La Chacrita Online</ref>
1795	1871	Template:Sort	Francisco Javier Muñiz	Argentine physician, naturalist and politician	<ref name="Personalities" />
1821	1890	Template:Sort	Guillermo Rawson	Physician and politician.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1852	1933	Template:Sort	Hipólito Yrigoyen	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref name="CIDOB"/><ref name="LaNación"/>
1847	1847	Template:Sort	Isabelle Colonna-Walewski	Daughter of Count Alexandre Colonna-Walewski and grandchild of Napoleon.	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1842	1912	Template:Sort	José Clemente Paz	Statesman, diplomat, and journalist.	<ref name="JoséClementePaz">Template:Cite book </ref><ref name="SusanaReinoso"/>
1860	1931	Template:Sort	José Figueroa Alcorta	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1834	1886	Template:Sort	José Hernández	Journalist, politician, poet, and creator of Argentina's national epic, the Martín Fierro.	<ref name="Personalities"/><ref name="FirpoHernándezOcampoCané"/>
1910	1975	Template:Sort	José María Guido	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1758	1833	Template:Sort	Juan José Paso	Politician and member of the First Assembly, the First Triumvirate, and the Second Triumvirate.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1797	1841	Template:Sort	Juan Lavalle	General and Governor of Buenos Aires Province.	<ref name="RominaSmith"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1793	1877	Template:Sort	Juan Manuel de Rosas	Brigadier and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Initially buried at Southampton Old Cemetery in the United Kingdom, repatriated in 1989.	<ref name="Clarín">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CityGovernment">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1843	1914	Template:Sort	Julio Argentino Roca	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1841	1896	Template:Sort	Leandro Nicéforo Alem	Politician.	<ref name="CIDOB"/><ref name="LaNación"/><ref name="AlemGonzález"/>
1874	1938	Template:Sort	Leopoldo Lugones	Writer and journalist.	<ref name="LugonesGirondoBioy">Template:Cite news</ref>
1831	1913	Template:Sort	Lucio Victorio Mansilla	General, writer, journalist, politician, and diplomat.	<ref name="SarmientoGuidoMansilla"/>
1894	1960	Template:Sort	Luis Ángel Firpo	Professional boxer and the first Latin American to challenge for the world heavyweight champion title.	<ref name="Personalities"/><ref name="FirpoHernándezOcampoCané"/>
1906	1987	Template:Sort	Luis Federico Leloir	Biochemist, physician, and the first Spanish-speaking Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate.	<ref name="Personalities"/><ref name="RominaSmith"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1838	1907	Template:Sort	Luis María Campos	lang}} (Superior School of War).	<ref name="SusanaReinoso">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1822	1907	Template:Sort	Luis Sáenz Peña	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1791	1871	Template:Sort	Luis Vernet	German-born merchant of Huguenot descent and the first Argentine appointed as Governor of Puerto Luis (nowadays the Falkland Islands).	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1787	1828	Template:Sort	Manuel Dorrego	Military officer and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Mausoleum designed by Carlo Zucchi.	<ref name="RominaSmith">Template:Cite news</ref>
1835	1906	Template:Sort	Manuel Quintana	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1868	1942	Template:Sort	Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents">Template:Cite news</ref>
1887	1970	Template:Sort	Mariette Lydis	Austrian-born painter and illustrator.	citation	CitationClass=web }} </ref>
1786	1868	Template:Sort	Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson	Patriot.	<ref name="CityGovernment"/><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1922	1991	Template:Sort	Martín Karadagian	Actor, professional wrestler, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inductee.	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1851	1905	Template:Sort	Miguel Cané	Writer, lawyer, academic, journalist, and politician.	<ref name="FirpoHernándezOcampoCané">Template:Cite news</ref>
1754	1833	Template:Sort	Miguel de Azcuénaga	General, politician, and member of the First Assembly.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1783	1849	Template:Sort	Miguel Estanislao Soler	General and politician.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1837	1885	Template:Sort	Nicolás Avellaneda	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/><ref name="Clarín"/>
1891	1967	Template:Sort	Oliverio Girondo	Poet.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1859	1936	Template:Sort	Pablo Ricchieri	Military officer and Minister of War.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1848	1929	Template:Sort	Paul Groussac	French-born writer, literary critic, historian, and librarian.	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1903	1970	Template:Sort	Pedro Eugenio Aramburu	President of Argentina.	<ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1927	2009	Template:Sort	Raúl Alfonsín	President of Argentina.	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="LaNación">Template:Cite news</ref>
1926	2016	Template:Sort	María Lorenza Barreneche	First Lady of Argentina. Widow of Raúl Alfonsín.	<ref name=lanacion>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=clarin>Template:Cite news</ref>
1797	1823	Template:Sort	Remedios de Escalada	lang}} José de San Martín.	<ref name="CityGovernment"/>
1851	1914	Template:Sort	Roque Sáenz Peña	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1903	1993	Template:Sort	Silvina Ocampo	Poet, translator, and writer.	<ref name="Personalities"/>
1802	1869	Template:Sort	Valentín Alsina	Governor of Buenos Aires Province.	<ref name="NationalHistoricalMonuments">Template:Cite news</ref>
1785	1856	Template:Sort	Vicente López y Planes	Poet, politician, and creator of the lyrics of the Argentine National Anthem.	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1890	1979	Template:Sort	Victoria Ocampo	Writer, intellectual, and the first woman admitted to the Argentine Academy of Letters.	<ref name="Personalities"/><ref name="FirpoHernándezOcampoCané"/>
1840	1919	Template:Sort	Victorino de la Plaza	President of Argentina.	<ref name="Presidents"/>
1883	1902	Template:Sort	Rufina Cambaceres	Possible example of premature burial.	<ref name="CityGovernment"/><ref name="RominaSmith"/>
1777	1857	Template:Sort	William Brown	Irish-born Admiral and founder of the Argentine Navy.	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book </ref>
1856	1902	Template:Sort	Zenón Rolón	Musician and composer.	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1920	1999	Template:Sort	Zully Moreno	Actress.	<ref name="Personalities"/>

File:Boy Angel Statue La Recoleta Cemetery.jpg

Boy angel statue La Recoleta Cemetery 9-7-2011 Buenos Aires Argentina

External links

• Template:Find a Grave cemetery
• Template:Wikivoyage-inline