The Cristóbal Colón Cemetery is a magnificent urban funeral complex covering a rectangular area of 57 hectares. In 1987, it was declared a National Monument of Cuba.
It was designed by Calixto Aureliano de Loira y Cardoso, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. In 1870, this prominent Spanish architect won the public competition called by the Board of Cemeteries in Havana for the construction of the Colón Cemetery.
The layout of the necropolis is divided into a large central cross that forms four main areas, known as quarters, which are designated according to the cardinal points: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest. This defines its composition as a grid of streets, blocks, and lots.
The two main central avenues that divide the layout of the cemetery are 21 meters wide, one running from North to South and the other from East to West.
On its route, these avenues intersect perpendicularly, and at this intersection stands the Chapel, creating a roundabout in the center of the necropolis. The chapel of the Colón Cemetery has an octagonal shape and is the only one of its kind in Cuba.
The construction of this impressive cemetery took 16 years. It was opened to the public on July 2, 1886.
Over the years, this institution has undergone various changes necessary to improve funeral services in a city that has seen its population multiply. In 1959, the cemetery was intervened by the Revolution, and in 1967 it was nationalized.
The Colón Cemetery has more than 52,000 properties, and 8,000 of them have Heritage Protection Grades I and II.
The main facade, built between 1871 and 1874 using carved stone, is the work of architect Eugenio Rayneri. This decorative ensemble received two relief sculptures in 1899, representing the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ; both pieces were created by Cuban sculptor José Vilalta Saavedra.
The sculptural group that crowns the main entrance of the Colón Cemetery consists of three marble statues that symbolize the Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. At the base, there is an inscription in Latin that reads, Janua Sum Pacis, which means "I am the Door of Peace."
