La Chacarita Cemetery

Cementerio de la Chacarita

A corner in one of the cemetery's many paths.
Details
Year established 1887
Country Argentina
Location Buenos Aires
Type Public
Size 95 hectares (230 acres)

Cementerio de la Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is known as the National Cemetery and is the largest in Argentina.

Contents

Location

The cemetery is in the barrio or district of Chacarita, in the northern part of Buenos Aires. Its main entrance is at 780 Guzmán Street.

History

The cemetery owes its existence to a yellow fever epidemic in 1871, when existing cemeteries were strained beyond capacity (the upscale La Recoleta Cemetery refused to allow the burial of victims of the epidemic). Students of the College of San Carlos appropriated 5 hectares (12.35 acres) in the adjoining Colegiales area for this purpose, but had their facility closed by the city in 1886. The New Chacarita Cemetery began to function in 1887 and was formally designated as such in 1896.

Chacarita Cemetery has designated areas for members of the Argentine artistic community, including writers, prominent composers and actors. The late justicialist leader Juan Perón was buried here until his remains were relocated in 2006 to a mausoleum in his former home in San Vicente, Buenos Aires.

British and German Cemeteries

In the 19th century a large number of Britons came to Argentina to work in the many areas of the economy in which England then had extensive interests. At first the British Cemetery was founded beside the Socorro Chapel (started 1821 - authorized on 22 February 1822). In 1833 the cemetery had to move to what was then called Victoria Cemetery (today the "Plaza 1° de Mayo") until November, 1892, when they were asked by the Municipality to move. Section 16 of the Chacarita Cemetery was given in exchange for the Victoria Cemetery. Eventually in 1913 the British Cemetery (or so called "De Disidentes or Corporación del Cementerio Británico de Bs. As.") was divided into the German and the British Cemetery as we know them today, because the two local communities has grown since the beginning of the 19th century.

The British Cemetery and the German Cemetery are not now part of or run by Chacarita Cemetery.

Notable interments Chacarita Cemetery

People buried in the chacarita cemetery include:

Notable interments at the British Cemetery Corporation include

Notable interments at the German Cemetery include

External links