- Home
- What to see
- Monumental Cemetery
Description
The monumental cemetery of Messina, also called Gran Camposanto, is the main cemetery of the city. It is easy to reach it on foot or by tram by just going along Viale San Martino, in the heart of the city. It is next to Villa Dante (the biggest public garden of Messina). In 1854, the Municipality of Messina issued a call for its construction, made necessary because of a cholera epidemic, which created many victims and caused pressure for burial sites. The architect who was awarded the design was Leone Savoja. The place, opened in 1872, today is considered the second largest cemetery in artistry of Italy and keeps the majority of the neoclassical statues belonging to Italy’s heritage.
You can enter it through four entrances and, using the main entrance called Porta Maggiore, it is possible to admire a large square covered by flowers representing the escutcheon of the city, which shows the inscription "Orate Pro Defunctis" (pray for dead).
All the works in the interior of the cemetery are in art nouveau and neoclassical style and are surrounded by a thick and perfectly kept garden, which exalt its beauty.
Many of the monumental graves are dedicated to important men of the city such as Leone di Savoja, Giuseppe La Farina, Castronovo, Vann’Antò, Cannizzaro, Martino, Fulci, etc. In the interior of the cemetery, the majority of the victims of the earthquake of 1908 are also buried.
The Gran Camposanto hosts the English cemetery (granted by king Ferdinand IV to the English sailors) and the Cenoby, in gothic style, also known as conventino.
Unfinished and partially destroyed by the earthquake of 1908, there is also the Famedio (Temple of Fame), a mausoleum with underground catacombs, which was inaugurated in 1872 and was the occasion to take back to the city the remains of Giuseppe La Farina, which were guarded in Turin. The monument also hosts the graves of important men from Messina such as Felice Bisazza, Giuseppe Natoli, and many others.
You can enter it through four entrances and, using the main entrance called Porta Maggiore, it is possible to admire a large square covered by flowers representing the escutcheon of the city, which shows the inscription "Orate Pro Defunctis" (pray for dead).
All the works in the interior of the cemetery are in art nouveau and neoclassical style and are surrounded by a thick and perfectly kept garden, which exalt its beauty.
Many of the monumental graves are dedicated to important men of the city such as Leone di Savoja, Giuseppe La Farina, Castronovo, Vann’Antò, Cannizzaro, Martino, Fulci, etc. In the interior of the cemetery, the majority of the victims of the earthquake of 1908 are also buried.
The Gran Camposanto hosts the English cemetery (granted by king Ferdinand IV to the English sailors) and the Cenoby, in gothic style, also known as conventino.
Unfinished and partially destroyed by the earthquake of 1908, there is also the Famedio (Temple of Fame), a mausoleum with underground catacombs, which was inaugurated in 1872 and was the occasion to take back to the city the remains of Giuseppe La Farina, which were guarded in Turin. The monument also hosts the graves of important men from Messina such as Felice Bisazza, Giuseppe Natoli, and many others.