The Cementerio General, Santiago was established in 1819 by Bernardo O’Higgins when he set aside 85 hectares of land for this site. The Cementerio General, Santiago is a major tourist attraction in Santiago and has a number of large and lavish mausoleums. Even though the external structure of these buildings holds a rather somber interior, the overall effect that has been achieved in the Cementerio General, Santiago is one of elegance which represents one of the finest artistic creations in the country of Chile.
The Cementerio General in Santiago has besides the overwhelming mausoleums, various other simpler tombs that are an enactment of man’s eternal yearning to achieve immortality. Whether we see this in the pyramids of Egypt where the preservation of mortal bodies from decay have been the everlasting desire, or the megalithic tombs and the sarcophagi where the stone containers contain coffins and serve for a religious purpose as well, the idea to transcend death has always been seen in various manifestations. In Christianity architectural shrines are built above the saint’s first place of burial. Eternity has been achieved in the sepulchers which are cavernous, stone built spaces for interment used in Jewish and Christian civilizations.
Cementerio General, Santiago has a pleasant arrangement of leafy trees, gardens and various lanes with a variety of beautiful sculptures. The mortal remains of every President of Chile have been buried here, except Gabriel Gonzalez Videla and Augusto Pinochet. Some of the tombs are that of Arturo Alessandri, Salvador Allende and Eduardo Frei Montalva. Santiago travel will take you to the Avenida La Paz where the tourist will find the Monument of Suffering by the French sculptor Carrier Belleuse. The remains of the victims of the Iglesia de la Compania from the year 1863 will also be found in this cemetery.
One of the most remarkable features of the Cemetario General de Santiago constitutes the sculpted stone figures at the entrance. As these stone figures stand as if in a procession against time carry in their frozen gaze the whole essence of mortality and immortality in art. These awe inspiring solemn statues surrounded by the ornate mausoleums bring the perfect ambiance of solemnity and wonder that will leave you mesmerized in your Santiago tours.
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