And here I am still going over my older posts which are many I realise ! This one is on a subject I seldom write as always prefer the living but as a monument is one of the most visited as in other big city cementeries! Let me update for you the Columbus cemetary of Havana Cuba! Locally known as the Cementerio de Colon!
Wow, it’s been a long time do not write anything on Cuba, but as not there nowdays the inspiration is minimum. There was a nice site I pick up that mention very good information on it, and it brought my attention to the cemetary of Colon in Havana, the largest in the Americas, many have said. I have I believe one old picture from it that I had , i believe was in the vault of my dear late Mom Gladys, and will include here .
Part of my rich heritage is of several nationalities and one of them is Cuban, where I was born in Punta Brava, near Havana (24 km or 15 mi) . It has been a long time out of it ,but the memories of old always stay with me. Oh yes I am a world resident as living and citizen ,also, of Spain, USA, and France! Lately living in France already for 18 years!
The cemetery or necropolis of Colon is in Havana, the biggest in the Americas and one of the most important of the world. There lies the most important persons in Cuban society since it opened in 1886. From 1854 it was already thought to do a cemetery to replace the Espada, the first in Cuba and Latin America. The Colon was renovated already in 1934. It is 140 acre (57 ha) cemetery!!!
The cemetery is rectangular with four sections and two wide large avenues forming a big Cross. In the center there is the Chapel where the funeral services are held; the tracing is done by cardinal points NW NE, SE, and SW. At each cardinal point there is a grand entrance , the biggest is at Zapata with 12 street known as the Puerta de Triunfo or an Arch de Triomphe. On top there is statues representing faith, hope and charity. The Latin writing on it Janua sum pacis means I am the gate of peace.
The cemetery has over 56 000 mausoleums chapels, pantheons, galleries etc where they are buried about 2 million persons. The most majestic monuments are along Avenue de Colon in the north entrance. At the Avenida de Colón to the right of the north entrance you see the monument to the firefighters ,at the center the Central Chapel and on the left part of the pantheon of Catalina Lasa. Others here are the monument to the 8 medicine students, the pantheon of the prelates on which bishop Espada lies, the pantheon of the Falla-Bonet family, the chapel of Pedro Baro and Catalina Lasa, the chapel of Conde (count) Rivero, and the pantheon of Marta Abreu. The Central Chapel was built in 1886 in a roman-byzantine style been the only octagonal religious building in Cuba. It has a wonderful mural painting showing the Final Judgment and the stained glass showing different Saints and Bible stories were brought from Cologne, Germany.
There is a humble tomb of the couple of Amelia Goyri and José Vicente Adot. Amelia Goyri de la Hoz is known as the Miraculous or La Milagrosa, because for many years has given wishes and petitions making miracles to those seeking solutions to their problems. On top of the tomb there is a sculpture of a woman, with a child in one hand and the Cross in the other.
Other famous tomb with a story is that of Catalina Laza and Juan Pedro Baró. When they met she was already married to Luis Estévez Abreu, son of the Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, and who refuse to give her the divorce. Nevertheless, Catalina and Juan continue their relationship for many years until finally the Pope gave the divorce in 1917 confirm by then President of Cuba Mario Menocal. In 1926 they built a luxurious palace at 406 Calle Paseo where they lived and Juan gave her a new Rose flower her favorite colors of rose and yellow. Unfortunately, happiness did not last long as Catalina fell sick and died in 1930. She was beautiful and on her last years hide to no one can see her face. Juan ordered to built a pantheon design in a form that the rays of the sun penetrating through glass will draw a rose similar to the one she carried. She was buried with all her jewelry and under a hard cement dome so nobody could violate her peace. Juan died ten years later and is buried at the foot of the tomb.
nother popular one is of the one of the rests of Jeannette Ford Ryder, and her loyal dog Rinti . It is known as the Fidelity tomb or the Lady of the dog such as La Tumba de la Fidelidad, or La Dama del perrito. Jeannette Ford Ryder an American lady who came to Cuba in 1869 where she found the Piedad or pity Bando a philanthropic organization doing charity work helping domestic animals, invalid women, children, orphans and poor in general. At her death at 65 yrs old, her loyal dog Rinti stayed at the tomb until he died. The employees left food for the dog and the dog refuse until dying of sadness. This tomb is at quadrant S.O.(SW) street or calle 14 between H and Fray Jacinto.
Other famous tombs are the pantheon of the Basque Navarre association or Asociación Vasco-Navarra de Beneficencia. Calle 3 between G and F. The tomb of World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca; it has a big piece of white king that goes higher than the others and located at Calle 8 between A and B. The first person buried in the cemetery was in September 29 1872 of the architect builder of it ,the Spaniard Calixto de Loira. Buried in the gallery or Galería de Tobías, this was a underground gallery of 100 meters long. Intriguing a month later his replacement also died and now a legend is on of malediction to all those who had a hand in building this cemetery.
There is even someone who is buried erected on foot! The last will and testament of the men ask for this and it was done. His name was Eugenio Casimiro Rodríguez Carta sentenced in 1918 to life in prison while lucky met in the prison a María Teresa Zayas, the daughter of the then President of Cuba who felled in love with him. He was finally let go and married the lady, took a great political career even a seat in the House of Representative, becoming rich and powerful. He ordered built his pantheon at Quadrant N.E. 22, Campo Común. Vertically!
There was a time that folks thought the famous Cecilia Valdés was just a personage out of fiction from the writer Cirilo Villaverde, but after some searching it was found that it was indeed a women name like that and she rests here. She was beautiful mulata (mix black and white person) that was very pretty and was even call the little virgin of copper. The rests of Cecilia Valdés daughter of the royal house of maternity or Real Casa de Maternidad who died in 1893 at the age of 86 rest at quadrant N.E., square 6, Campo Común.
It even has tombs of the fallen from WWI and WWII at Avenida Zapata and Calle 30 (Street) The remains of the casualties are located in the mausoleum of the Anglo-American Welfare Association.
Some of the information was taken for credit from the webpage norfipc on the cementery Colon in Spanish here: https://norfipc.com/cuba/el-cementerio-necropolis-colon-habana.php
Some of the other notable names buried here are: Manuel Arteaga y Betancourt, Cardinal , Hubert de Blanck composer, Federico Capdevila, lieutenant Colonel of the Spanish Army who defended the medicine students in 1871; Alejo Carpentier, writer and musicologist, Eduardo Chibàs, politician, Dr Carlos Finlay, physician and researcher (discovered mosquito of the yellow fever) ; José Migule Gomez, President of Cuba, Maximo Gomez, hero of the war of Independence, Harrison E Havens US Congressman , José Lezama Lima, writer and poet, Dulce Maria Loynaz, poet novelist; Adolfo Luque, Major League baseball pitcher ; Armando Marsans major league baseball outifielder , William Alexander Morgan, US combat soldier fought against Batista and Castro; Juan Rius Rivera, Puerto Rican military hero, etc etc.
Just one of the oddities of Havana. I am not going to tell you to go to Havana to see this, but if you are in the neighborhood , why not, very educational and historical too. Hope you enjoy the post.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 