domingo, 2 de octubre de 2016

AfterLife » Robert

AfterLife » Robert





Archive

441. la nación, 16 ene 2010

30 Oct 2011

La historia escondida en las tumbas de Recoleta
Los fines de semana cientos de
turistas visitan la necrópolis para ver donde descansan los restos de
diversas figuras de la historia argentina
La Nación, 16 enero 2010, Pablo De Rosa Barlaro
Sábado, media mañana. Los turistas hacen
fila. Están ansiosos porque empiece la visita guiada. Una recorrida por
pasillos, bóvedas y tumbas. Un paseo por la historia argentina a través
del cementerio de Recoleta.
La escena se repite todas las semanas. Sólo en 2008 unos 24.000 turistas visitaron la necrópolis más antigua de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, según estadísticas oficiales del gobierno porteño.
¿Hay una fascinación por la muerte? La escritora María Rosa Lojo
sostuvo: “Sin duda, la muerte es el gran misterio de nuestras vidas.
Estas figuras que están en las lápidas, en las tumbas nos representan a
nosotros. Son nuestro pasado pero también nuestro futuro”.
El cementerio de Recoleta fue la primera necrópolis pública de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Fue inaugurado con el nombre de Cementerio del Norte
el 17 de noviembre de 1822. Un día después, las primeras personas
enterradas fueron el niño esclavo Juan Benito y una mujer llamada María
Dolores Maciel.
Después se construyeron los cementerios de Flores, en 1867 y el de Chacarita, en 1871.
Las visitas guiadas del gobierno porteño
se arman por grupos de entre 25 y 30 personas, todo depende del día y
del horario. Además todas las semanas hay paseos organizados para las
escuelas.
Según la página web del gobierno porteño los planos del cementerio fueron confeccionados por el ingeniero Próspero Catelin,
reservándose el gobierno algunas parcelas para personalidades
destacadas en la formación del estado que le confirió su carácter
histórico.
Pero qué es lo que atrae a turistas
argentinos y extranjeros. ¿Qué buscan los visitantes del cementerio que
recorren las tumbas y bóvedas?
“En el cementerio está la historia fundacional de la patria, la historia inicial”, explicó el director de la necrópolis, Carlos Francavilla.
En las tumbas y bóvedas del cementerio descansan los restos de figuras de la historia de la Argentina como Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Bartolomé Mitre, Hipólito Irigoyen, Juan Manuel de Rosas, Remedios de Escalada de San Martín, Eva Duarte de Perón y Raúl Alfonsín, cuya inhumación, el 2 de abril pasado, fue presenciada por una multitud de personas, que conmovidas, llenaron el cementerio.
No sólo hay personalidades de la política sepultados en el cementerio de Recoleta, sino también el premio Nobel Luis Federico Leloir, el boxeador Luis Angel [Firpo], los escritores José Hernández, Miguel Cané y Marcos Sastre. También hay una bóveda donde descansan los restos de María Marta García Belsunce, asesinada en octubre de 2002 en su casa del country Carmel.
Un video de YouTube se encontró acá pero no está más en el servidor.
Hay una bóveda que atrae como un imán a
los turistas argentinos y extranjeros, sobre todo las personas que
vienen desde Europa. Es la bóveda de Evita.
“El turista tiene particular interés por
la bóveda de Evita. Es un personaje muy conocido internacionalmente,
muy popular. Hay turistas que saben muchísimos detalles de la vida de
Eva Duarte, sobre todo por la ópera”, sostuvo Francavilla.
La superficie actual es de 5,5 hectáreas
y sus límites son las calles Junín, Quintana, Vicente López y
Azcuénaga. Las visitas no sólo son atraídas por los personajes que están
en las tumbas. El lugar es una atracción por su arquitectónica,
plasmada en distintos estilos escultóricos. Unas 70 bóvedas fueron
declaradas Monumento Histórico Nacional.
“Las manifestaciones a nivel escultórico
que tiene cementerio llama la atención de los turistas, que lo comparan
con otras necrópolis importantes del mundo como el cementerio de
Père-Lachaise, en París o la necrópolis italiana de Staglieno, en
Génova”, agregó Francavilla.
En la actualidad, según información
oficial, en el cementerio de Recoleta no hay parcela disponible. Las
bóvedas fueron concedidas a perpetuidad.
En el Ministerio de Espacio Público
porteño dijeron: “En este momento se está en proceso de desocupar una
galería de nichos que fueron arrendados por 95 años. Ya se realizaron
todos los procedimientos administrativos para la desocupación de
aquellos que están abandonados o que no son reclamados. De esta forma,
la ciudad volverá a ofrecer el servicio de nichos en su cementerio más
antiguo”.
Por año, según el cuadro tarifario, por
mantenimiento de las bóvedas y por metro cuadrado se debe abonar 48
pesos. Ampliación de bóvedas, rectificación obligatoria del trazado,
adquisición de sobrantes baldíos o concesiones de subsuelo bajo calle o
acera, rigen los siguientes precios por metro cuadrado y por año, 84
pesos.
Termina el paseo. Después de recorrer
pasillos, tumbas y bóvedas, los turistas están satisfechos. Piensan que
saben más sobre los personas que los cautivaron.
La Nación, 16 enero 2010, mapa del cementerio
Producción periodística: Soledad Aznarez, Pablo Cairo, Verónica Chiaravalli, Pablo De Rosa Barlaro, Gabriel Di Nicola y Jorge Rosales
—————————
A pesar de que no dice nada nuevo, no se
puede perdonar que la nota tiene errores. Sobre todo con tanta gente
trabajando en la producción. El apellido de Firpo no aparece (!) y el
cementerio en Flores no fue el segundo construido para la ciudad… Flores se incorporó en la ciudad recién en el año 1888, después de abrir el cementerio de la Chacarita.
Primera foto (1 de 10) es de Pablo De Rosa Barlaro. Negritas e itálicas no son originales. 

440. lorenzo finocchio

23 Oct 2011

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Lorenzo Finocchio
Only a few examples of poetry exist in Recoleta Cemetery. Mostly confined to plaques like that of Angélica Blanco Granada & Antonio Zwingen, this engraving surprises because it has been built into the wall of the family vault. Very unique.
A closer look & translation, which unfortunately does not rhyme in English as it does in Spanish:
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Lorenzo Finocchio
Aquí Yacen Los Restos De La Finada Dª Francisca Viergi De Finocchio

Falleció el 20 de junio de 1858, de 56 años de edad

Q.G.P.E (que goce de paz eterna)
Aquí bajo esta helada losa

regada con mi llanto cada día

alberganse los restos de una esposa

que mi paz y mi calma constituía
—————————
Here Lie The Remains Of The Late Francisca Viergi De Finocchio

Who passed away on June 20, 1858 at the age of 56

May she enjoy eternal peace
Here, underneath this cold slab

each day showered with my tears,

are entombed the remains of a wife

who granted me such peace & calm

439. cementerio de san josé de flores

16 Oct 2011

Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, location
Like Recoleta Cemetery, the Cementerio de San José de Flores
took its name from the adjacent church (originally located between
Avenida Rivadavia & Ramón Falcón). What better place to ensure a
divine afterlife? In 1807, Flores had yet to be incorporated into the
city limits of BA so the town’s early residents were buried there. Moved
in 1830 & again in 1867, the cemetery was enlarged to 27 hectares
in 1979. Not as big as Chacarita Cemetery but certainly big enough.
The first thing that struck me about
this cemetery was its location… up on a hilltop. There are so few hills
in Buenos Aires that you notice when you’re on top of a big one. Only a
small portion of the site had mausoleums so it was really nonstop graves
as far as the eye could see.
One modern section is similar to the
underground catacombs of Chacarita, but I spent most of my time checking
out the architecture. The fancy entrance gate from 1868 by Juan Buschiazzo
(same architect who constructed the entrance of Recoleta Cemetery)
& the mausoleum section seem out of place after the cemetery’s
expansion, now completely surrounded by graves. At least the gate was
not demolished:
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Something else that’s a bit out of place because no doubt it has been moved from its original location is the Flores family tomb. They founded the town & were its most illustrious residents. At least they have a great view now:
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
An interesting detail here that isn’t found as often in Chacarita or Recoleta is personal references. These nameplates can be found above the main door where the family name would be:
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
There were some collective mausoleums as in Chacarita. The second one is for the Navy… complete with steamship design:


Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
My personal favorite was the monster concrete crosses on the mausoleum for staff of the Obras Sanatarias de la Nación:
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
A few more for the Instituto del Buen Pastor, a group of monks in a small Neogothic castle & a little late Art Nouveau:


Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
There wasn’t much in the way of sculpture, but the following piece stood out:


Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
Finally, a few tombstones
were mixed in with the mausoleums. I know this is difficult to read but
it’s for an immigrant from the Lower Pyrenees in France who died in
1871. The inscription is touching:
Cementerio de San José de Flores, Buenos Aires, Flores
So if you’re in the neighborhood for
Korean food, pop in for quick walk around & enjoy the view. You’ll
likely be the only one wandering around the mausoleums.
Originally published on 19 Sep 2007 in my other blog, Line of Sight.
—————————————————
Other Buenos Aires cemeteries: Cementerio del SurChacaritaSan José de FloresCementerio de los Disidentes • Cementerio BritánicoCementerio Alemán

438. cementerio de la chacarita

09 Oct 2011

Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, location
Much like the creation of Recoleta Cemetery, the Cementerio de la Chacarita owes its location to land confiscated from a religious order. In this case it was the Jesuits–not the Recoletos–who were expelled in 1767. The area took its name from a diminutive form of the word “chacra” or “chácara,” meaning small farm or plantation, & refers to its original use.
City officials had no urgent need to occupy the land until the devastating 1871 yellow fever outbreak. Recoleta prohibited the burial of victims of any epidemic, while the smaller Cementerio del Sur could not cope with the estimated 14,000 dead. Drastic measures needed to be taken & the massive, 70-block Chacarita Cemetery was born. Trolley lines nearby helped handle increased traffic.
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, entrance gate
Due to its size, the creation of of a
cemetery in Chacarita made its predecessor in Recoleta more exclusive.
To this day, Chacarita is for burials of the common man while Recoleta
is typically for those who are better off. But that isn’t to say that
there’s nothing elegant about Chacarita… quite the contrary.
Split into many sectors, decorative vaults congregate around the main entrance while niches are off to the side & underground in the center. Scattered around are collective mausoleums,
either based on profession (burial included as part of union dues) or
by association membership (sports clubs or beneficiary societies, for
example). Take note:
visiting or photographing these mausoleums is prohibited by non-members
even if doors are open… caretakers are fairly zealous about that.
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, niches
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Centro Gallego
A large portion of the cemetery is occupied by plots which are constantly recycled. Social benefits in Argentina include free burial
but not forever. If family does not pay for basic maintenance past a
certain number of years, the casket is removed, cremated & the ashes
are scattered at the ossuary along the eastern wall. Hundreds of plaques adorn this spot, making it one of the most moving in the cemetery.
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, osuario
One way of looking at Chacarita is that its eclectic architectural mix is a response by the middle class to emulate the over-the-top styles in Recoleta… often with interesting results:
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Familia Cottini
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Familia Bozzini-Morini, Art Deco
Are there famous people buried inside the confines of Chacarita Cemetery? Certainly. Probably the most recognized person is Carlos Gardel, but several other tango legends keep him company like Tita Merello & Celedonio Flores. Juan Domingo Perón
was once buried there as well, his hands removed with a saw &
stolen, but since 2006 he rests in relative peace in his former estate
in San Vicente. Perón’s rival while in exile, Augusto Vandor, is easily visible from the entrance as is aviator Jorge Newbery. Popular saints like Hermanita Irma, sporting a chihuahua, & Madre María receive thousands of visitors each year. The Roverano family even left Recoleta Cemetery & moved the family plot to Chacarita.
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Carlos Gardel
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Celedonio Flores
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Augusto Vandor
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires, Jorge Newbery
Cementerio de la Chacarita, Buenos Aires
The best part about Chacarita is that
there is literally something to discover around every corner.
Unfortunately there is no blog about the cemetery… enough material
certainly exists. But a webpage maintained by Hernán Santiago Vizzari does a nice job of presenting Chacarita Cemetery’s history & unique character (Spanish only).
Some content originally published as a series of several posts in June 2008 on an older version of my blog, Line of Sight.
—————————————————

437. cementerio del sur

02 Oct 2011

Cementerio del Sur, Buenos Aires, map
With the foundation of Recoleta Cemetery
in 1822, Buenos Aires obtained its first public cemetery. But as
decades passed & population increased, the need for another cemetery
became apparent. Local leaders debated its size & location
throughout most of the 1860s. One big complication stemmed from the fact
that the city’s limits restricted expansion & further development.
In 1867, Buenos Aires acquired land from San José de Flores to the west, extending the city to the current streets of Boedo/Sáenz. In December that same year, the Cementerio del Sur (also referred to as the Cementerio del Sud) opened to receive a number of cholera epidemic victims.
Land purchased by the city
government—the equivalent of one modern city block—previously formed
part of the Carlos Escalada estate. It had been acquired by José Antonio
de Escalada… father of San Martín’s wife, Remedios de Escalada. Although no definitive proof exists, legend claims that she passed away on this very spot in 1823.
Cementerio del Sur, Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires
The Cementerio del Sur only remained in operation for four years, closing definitively in 1871. A yellow fever epidemic
swept through Buenos Aires that year & killed an estimated 14,000
people—10% of the city’s population—in the span of a few months. The
Cementerio del Sur could not receive such a large number of burials
& prompted the opening of a much larger cemetery to the west of the
city: Chacarita.
Just after the epidemic, celebrated Uruguayan artist Juan Manuel Blanes
painted a famous work depicting the horror of the times. His painting
shows a baby clutching the breast of its dead mother, a victim of the
epidemic, while city health officials inspect the scene. On display in
the Teatro Colón, it immediately struck a chord with all porteños.
Juan Manuel Blanes, fiebre amarilla
Although not receiving new burials, the
Cementerio del Sur continued to remain open so family members could
visit their deceased loved ones. But the city government failed to
maintain the site. In 1889 a monument which can still be seen today was
erected to commemorate those who had died during the yellow fever
epidemic & includes a replica of the Blanes painting:
Cementerio del Sur, Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires
Cementerio del Sur, Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires
In the 1890s, the entrance gate was
removed when this area was reassigned to become a public park. A small
number of exhumations took place, but most of the 18,000 people buried
in the Cementerio del Sur remain underground to this day. Currently
known as Parque Ameghino in the neighborhood of Parque Patricios, it is filled with jacarandá trees & is often used by dogwalkers… probably unaware of an important part of the city’s history beneath them.
For a detailed account of the cemetery’s history, more information can be found in an article researched & published by Luis O. Cortese  (Spanish only).
—————————————————
Other Buenos Aires cemeteries:  Cementerio del SurChacaritaSan José de FloresCementerio de los Disidentes • Cementerio BritánicoCementerio Alemán

436. general enrique mosconi

25 Sep 2011

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, General Enrique Mosconi
Born in Buenos Aires in 1877, Enrique Mosconi
spent a couple of years during childhood in Europe but his family
eventually returned to Argentina. After finishing elementary school,
Mosconi enrolled in the national military academy & graduated at the
age of 17. Typical of the era, the military was becoming more
professional & Mosconi decided to study in civil
engineering. Graduating in 1903, he was sent to learn about energy &
communications in Europe & brought the best technology back to
Argentina.
In spite of his early contributions, Mosconi would be most remembered for his next assignment beginning in 1922: General Director of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF)…
Argentina’s state-run petroleum company. Although not an expert in the
field at first, Mosconi did his best to improve working conditions in Comodoro Rivadavia
where the first discoveries had been made in 1907. Becoming highly
influential & respected, Mosconi had the ear of President Marcelo T. de Alvear
& usually received anything he requested. As a result, YPF grew as a
company & demonstrated that Argentines had the capability to manage
every aspect of the petroleum industry… from perforation to refinement.
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Enrique Mosconi
Early during his gestion, conflicts rose between Mosconi & companies such as Standard Oil & Royal Dutch Shell.
He was determined to keep Argentine oil out of the hands of foreign
trusts. Mosconi traveled to many countries in Latin America, where
several state-run companies similar to YPF eventually formed, much to
his credit. One plaque reminds visitors of Mosconi’s defiance:
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Enrique Mosconi
A few days after the military coup
which ousted President Hipólito Yrigoyen in 1930, Mosconi resigned from
YPF. Several key government positions were filled with people friendly
to foreign oil trusts, & some historians think the coup could have
been partially supported by Mosconi’s enemies. Perhaps because of this,
Mosconi disappeared from the scene. Despite a stroke which left him
partially paralyzed, he traveled extensively & wrote influential
books about the petroleum industry, winning many awards abroad for his
ideas.
Mosconi passed away in 1940 while living
with his older sisters & had only a few pesos to his name. His
crypt is a wonderful monument to mid-20th century art,
built with YPF funds. Although Mosconi may not have increased production
to the extent he projected, he took a marginally run company & made
it a source of national pride. No doubt Mosconi would have been
horrified if he could have seen into the future when YPF was purchased
for U$S 15 billion in 1999 by the Spanish company Repsol.
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Enrique Mosconi

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario