Buenos Aires is the magnificent capital of Argentina, a city of history. There you can find places that are both historical and architectural masterpieces. La Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) is one of the most beautiful and famous cemeteries not only in Argentina but also in the world.
In my opinion, is not quite correct to call it "just" a cemetery. La Recoleta Cemetery is rather a "city within a city" with its streets, chapels, crypts, and magnificent sculptures. It is the resting place of many representatives of the aristocracy, cultural figures, former presidents, famous athletes. So it is a work of art and an aristocratic place of mourning at the same time.
At the beginning of the XVIII century, Franciscan monks founded a monastery on this site, in 1732, they built the temple of El Pilar with a nearby churchyard, and in 1822, this land became the first public cemetery of the city. In the 1870s, due to yellow fever, wealthy citizens moved en masse to the Recoleta area, making it the wealthiest area of the city. Accordingly, this "increase" also affected the local cemetery, where members of the elite society found their last refuge.
Today La Recoleta Cemetery is a monument of architecture and history, filled with sadness and works of high art that attracts travelers from all over the world. If you are in Buenos Aires, visit La Recoleta Cemetery – I think you will like it.
The entrance to La Recoleta Cemetery is decorated with an impressive neoclassical gate with magnificent Greek columns. And the cemetery itself is a luxurious, elegant, often marble, mausoleums decorated with fine carvings; is green alleys that give shade on hot days; is engraved brass and bronze plates; is crypts and sculptures made by famous masters, sculptors, and painters.
And, of course, this is a huge number of statues made at different times and bearing its imprint.