Protestant Cemetery, São Paulo

Cemitério dos Protestantes is a historic Protestant cemetery located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The Protestant Cemetery is listed by CONDEPHAAT (Council for the Protection of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Touristic) due to its historical, cultural and social importance for the state of São Paulo.^[1]

History and details

When Julius Frank died in 1841, an eminent professor of law who was admired by students and teachers, they decided to arrange a dignified burial.

He was of German descent and a Protestant. Inside the churches, where the nobles were buried, it was not possible because he was a Protestant.

Students in agreement and supported by Councilor Brotero, decided to bury him within the faculty.

Upon learning of this fact, the Roman Catholic Bishop Dom Manoel initially prohibited this decision, because that ground was considered "sacred ground", as it is the former Convent of the Franciscan Friars. Councillor Brotero, taking advantage of the authority of the school director, addressed the bishop Manoel and after a rough dialogue, obtained his consent. Later, his tomb was declared by Max Feffer, the Secretary of Culture, Science and Technology.

The triggering of this incidence had great impact on foreigners living in São Paulo, both Catholic and Protestant. Some Europeans took the initiative and built the Cemetery of the Foreigners in 1844, on a small plot in the city district of Luz.

After receiving a few burials, the Foreigners' Cemetery was closed by the municipality because the land area near Rua São Caetano was reclaimed and cleared to make way for widening of Avenida Tiradentes.

On this occasion, Lutherans, Anglicans and some Presbyterians were organized informally and founded the Association of Protestant Cemetery, in order to deploy the new sacred ground to be called the Protestant Cemetery.

A fund was raised within the community and from the project prepared by Dr. Charles Frederick Rath, an administration building and chapel built, and in 1858, the first burial took place at the Protestant Cemetery .

Tombstone of Rev. Ashbel Green Simonton

The first Protestant missionary to settle a Protestant mission in Brazil, the American Presbyterian Ashbel Green Simonton is among the numerous distinguished members of Brazilian history resting on this site, many deceased people belonging to Protestant and Catholic communities, and even the remains of some Jews, which were subsequently transferred to Jewish Cemetery of Butantan, at the request of this community.

References

External links and source

• Cemitério dos Protestantes - ACEMPRO
• Cemitério dos Protestantes - BillionGraves