Recoleta Cemetery

The convent

The cemetery was built around a convent and a church of 1732

Franciscan Recollect monks arrived in the early eighteenth century, when the area was the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The cemetery is built around their convent and the church of Our Lady of the Pillar, built in 1732.

1822

The convent garden became the first public cemetery in 1822

The order was disbanded in 1822, and the convent garden was converted into the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires. It was first named Cementerio del Norte. The layout was by the French civil engineer Próspero Catelin.

The vaults

All 4691 vaults stand above ground, and 94 are national monuments

The site covers 5.5 hectares and contains 4691 vaults, all above ground. Of these, 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments. The cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined walkways.

4691vaults, all above ground

Styles

Tombs were built in many styles, with materials imported from Paris and Milan

The mausoleums are decorated with statues and range across Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque and Neo-Gothic. Most materials used between 1880 and 1930 were imported from Paris and Milan. Works by the sculptors Lola Mora and Luis Perlotti stand among the memorials.