The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno (Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno) is one of the largest and most historically significant cemeteries in Europe. Located in the Staglieno district of Genoa, Italy, it is renowned for its extensive collection of funerary sculpture.
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HistoryHistory
The idea for Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno was conceived in the early 1800s at a time when Napoleon put an end to burials within churches, temples, synagogues – and their surrounding yards – in an attempt to improve public health.
Genoa’s city architect, Carlo Barabino, began putting designs on paper in 1835.[1] But Barabino died during a cholera epidemic that same year so the project was taken up by his assistant, Giovanni Battista Resasco. Work on the cemetery began in 1844 and was completed in 1851. Four burials took place the day it was opened.
About Monumental CemeteryAbout Monumental Cemetery
Monumental Cemetery spans 250-acres with more than more than 117,000 gravesites nestled on a hillside. It has hundreds of stone sculptures that literally turn it into an outdoor art museum.
To view the breathtaking Italian cemetery statues at Staglieno you would need to cover 3.5 million square feet. There are 290 sculptures in the open arches of the arcades aisle and another 468 sculptures in the internal gallery niches.
In addition, there are several thousand individual memorials with everything from relief carvings on small graves to multi-story mausoleums.
Cemetery sectionsCemetery sections
Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is primarily a Catholic cemetery, but it also serves those of other faiths. The grounds are divided into the following sections:
- British civilian
- British military
- Catholic
- Eastern Orthodox
- Jewish
- Muslim
- Protestant
Neglect and restoration at Monumental CemeteryNeglect and restoration at Monumental Cemetery
Many of the breathtaking Italian cemetery statues at Monumental Cemetery have fallen into disrepair.
During the Holocaust, the Jewish community in Genoa was devastated. As a result, very few Jewish descendants remain to tend to their ancestor’s gravesites. Consequently, the two Jewish sections of Monumental Cemetery are in the saddest state of decay.
The American Friends of Italian Monumental Sculpture organization is working to repair the breathtaking Italian cemetery statues at Staglieno. Their website states, “The restorers we work with at Staglieno are very careful to not over-clean the sculptures. They remove the biological growth, black crust, and chemical deposits from pollution that eat away at the surface of the marble, but they leave some of the natural patina. The end result is to preserve the sculpture for many more years without trying to make it look too pristine and sterile.”
The restorers at Staglieno use biocides and lasers. Click HERE to learn about BillionGraves’ recommended method and solutions for cleaning your own family gravestones.
Notable people buried at Monumental Cemetery at StaglienoNotable people buried at Monumental Cemetery at Staglieno
- Carlo Barabino (1768-1835), the first architect who worked on the project of Monumental Cemetery
- Renato de Barbieri (1920-1991), violinist
- Giacomo Doria (1840-1913), explorer of China and Tibet
- Davis Chiossone (1822-1873), philanthropist and poet
- Paolo Giacometti (1816-1882), playwright
- Constance Mary Wilde (1859-1898), wife of author Oscar Wilde
- Alfredo Noack (1833-1895), photographer
- Fabrizio de Andrè (1944-1999), singer and songwriter
Preservation and tourismPreservation and tourism
Today, Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is both an active cemetery and a heritage site. Efforts have been made to restore and preserve its aging sculptures and monuments. It is a popular destination for tourists, art historians, and those interested in the history of funerary practices.
Guided tours are available, and a museum within the grounds offers further information about the cemetery’s history, architecture, and notable figures.
Explore more about famous cemeteriesExplore more about famous cemeteries
- France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths, MyHeritage Catalog Collection
- Cemetery Records Worldwide, BillionGraves in MyHeritage Catalog Collection
- Italian Cemetery Statues, BillionGraves Blog
- The Seven Largest Cemeteries in the World, BillionGraves Blog
- Three Amazing Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- London's Magnificent Seven Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 Cemeteries to See Before You Die, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 of the World's Most Beautiful Cemeteries, BillionGraves Blog
- 10 Things You Don’t Know About Cemeteries, Legacy Family Tree Webinars
References
- ↑ Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno. VisitGenoa.it