Cemitério do Alto de Sao João
The Cemitério do Alto de São João is one of the largest cemeteries in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon . It is located in the municipality of Penha de França .
history
The cemetery was laid out in 1833 at the behest of Queen Maria II after a cholera epidemic hit the city, and officially opened in 1841. The high plateau of São João to the west of the city was chosen as the location - also because of the high groundwater level. Initially, the cemetery served the western parts of Lisbon as a burial place. After the fall of the monarchy in 1910, the heroes of the First Republic were buried there. In an avenue behind the cemetery chapel are the graves of Miguel Bombarda , Cândido dos Reis and Machado Santos .
In 1925, the first crematorium in Portugal was built on the site of the cemetery . After a few years it was shut down for political reasons and only started up again in 1985.
The tombs show an eclectic character, from simple graves to richly decorated mausoleums . Noteworthy are the mausoleums of Santa Casa da Misericórdia and the Counts of Valmor on the main portal of the cemetery. In 1933 a statue for the unknown soldier was erected by Maximiano Alves .
Graves of known people
- Alfredo Luís da Costa
- Álvaro Cunhal
- Antonio José de Almeida
- Antonio Botto
- António Dias Lourenço
- Fernando de Lacerda
- Filinto Elísio
- Manuel Buíça
- Mário Barradas
- Óscar Monteiro Torres
- José Saramago
- Stuart Carvalhais
Web links
- Cemitério do Alto de São João in the Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico (Portuguese)
- Cemitério do Alto de São João at the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa
Coordinates: 38 ° 43 '48.8 " N , 9 ° 7' 18.4" W.