15 Drop-Dead Gorgeous Cemeteries From Around The World

Funeral Industry News June 26, 2013
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15 Drop-Dead Gorgeous Cemeteries From Around The World

1. Père-Lachaise — Paris, France

Père-Lachaise — Paris, France
Source: lupomanaro
Source: macdawg

On any given day, rock music can be heard radiating out of Père-Lachaise as fans of Jim Morrison pay their respects to the late musician, but the cemetery is also the final resting place of many other famous artists.

Notable residents: Jim Morrison (1943–1973), lead singer of The Doors; Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), poet and writer; Èdith Piaf (1915–1963), singer; to name a few.

2. Merry Cemetery — Sapanta, Romania

Merry Cemetery — Sapanta, Romania
Source: bukarestblog
Source: jopeattie
Source: notanyron
Source: adam_jones

Each grave site is marked with a brightly colored tombstone that depicts either the person buried or a memorable scene from their life. Many tombstones include a funny epitaph or poem.

Notable residents: None.

3. St. Louis No. 1 — New Orleans, La.

St. Louis No. 1 — New Orleans, La.
Source: facebook.com
Source: headley
Source: dumbfun
Source: dumbfun

This above-ground cemetery was built with floods in mind, since New Orleans sits below sea level. Yet the cemetery has certainly been weathered over the years, giving it a spooky, dilapidated appeal.

Notable residents: Marie Laveau (1794–1881), voodoo priestess.

4. La Recoleta Cemetery — Buenos Aires, Argentina

La Recoleta Cemetery — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Source: paul74
Source: sfgamchick
Source: kenya
Source: wili

These elaborate above-ground mausoleums took over the preexisting traditional cemetery in the mid-1800s when the wealthy began inhabiting this area of the city.

Notable residents: Many famous Argentinians, including Bartolomé Mitre (1821–1906), president of Argentina.

5. Xoxocotlan — Oaxaca, Mexico

Xoxocotlan — Oaxaca, Mexico
Via: omaromar
Source: nimdok
Source: edgarpoe
Source: nimdok

This cemetery comes alive on the Day of the Dead (Nov. 1), when mourners crowd its grounds to celebrate their loved ones.

Notable residents: None.

6. Old Jewish Cemetery — Prague, Czech Republic

Old Jewish Cemetery — Prague, Czech Republic
Source: lr
Source: lr
Source: lr
Source: lr

Over 12,000 graves are squeezed into this city-block-sized cemetery. It sits 10 feet above street level because graves were piled on top of each other when they ran out of horizontal room.

Notable residents: Judah Loew Ben Bezalel (1520–1609), chief rabbi of Prague.

7. Lone Fir Cemetery — Portland, Ore.

Lone Fir Cemetery — Portland, Ore.
Source: portland_mike
Source: atul666
Source: ryanh
Source: flickr.com

Lone Fir is one of the few cemeteries that allows mourners to plant trees or flowers in honor of their loved ones. As a result, the cemetery has become a community garden of sorts.

Notable residents: Many of the Chinese immigrants that built Portland from the ground up are buried here.

8. Green-Wood Cemetery—Brooklyn, N.Y.

Green-Wood Cemetery—Brooklyn, N.Y.
Source: mirsasha
Source: jamescastle
Source: badwsky
Source: badwsky

From many points throughout the graveyard, sweeping views of Manhattan and beyond are visible.

Notable residents: Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), designer and artist.

9. Highgate Cemetery — London, England

Highgate Cemetery — London, England
Source: tom_bennett
Source: flickr.com
Source: londonmatt
Source: bucaorg

This haggard, Victorian-style cemetery was built on the outskirts of North London because preexisting cemeteries in Central London were contaminating drinking water. A vampire was rumored to haunt its gates in the 1970s.

Notable residents: Karl Marx (1818–1883), philosopher.

10. Cemeterio General — Santiago, Chile

Cemeterio General — Santiago, Chile
Source: rewbs
Source: rewbs

With over two million deceased interred, Cementerio General is the largest cemetery in all of South America.

Notable residents: Everyone from commoners to presidents.

11. Bonaventure — Savannah, Ga.

Bonaventure — Savannah, Ga.
Source: flickr.com
Source: newsrover
Source: newsrover

Built on an old plantation, Bonaventure is now famous for being featured on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt.

Notable residents: Conrad Aiken (1889–1973), novelist and poet.

12. Punta Arenas Cemetery — Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas Cemetery — Punta Arenas, Chile
Source: ophile
Source: ophile
Source: flickr.com
Source: ophile

In 1919, wealthy pioneer Sara Braun donated money to build the cemetery’s front gate on the condition that once her body passed through, the gates would remain closed forever. And so they have.

Notable residents: Sara Braun (?-?), Russian pioneer.

13. Novodevichy Cemetery — Moscow, Russia

Novodevichy Cemetery — Moscow, Russia
Source: adambrunner
Source: flickr.com
Source: flickr.com
Source: archer10

In the 1930s, the remains of many famous Muscovites were transferred from smaller cemeteries that were being demolished throughout Moscow.

Notable residents: Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007), first president of the Russian Federation.

14. Woodlawn Cemetery — Bronx, N.Y.

Woodlawn Cemetery — Bronx, N.Y.
Source: mmpalmer
Source: thomashawk

With more than 30,000 laid to rest there, the Woodlawn Cemetery has been deemed a national landmark.

Notable residents: Duke Ellington (1889–1974), jazz musician, and Joseph Pulitzer (1847–1911), journalist.

15. Waverley Cemetery — Sydney, Australia

Waverley Cemetery — Sydney, Australia
Source: thedepartment
Source: jack_lasky
Source: thedepartment

This resting place with a view was beautiful enough to be featured in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.

Notable residents: Henry Lawson (1867–1922), writer and poet.

 

Source:  [BuzzFeed]