The Cristóbal Colón Necropolis is a magnificent urban burial 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 organized by the Cemetery Board 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, with one running from North to South and the other from East to West.
In their course, these avenues intersect perpendicularly, and at this crossing stands the Chapel, creating a roundabout in the center of the necropolis. The chapel of the Colón Cemetery has an octagonal layout 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 Necropolis has over 52,000 properties, of which 8,000 have Heritage Protection Grades I and II.
The main façade, constructed between 1871 and 1874 of ashlar stone, is the work of architect Eugenio Rayneri. In 1899, this decorative ensemble was enhanced with two reliefs depicting the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, both crafted by the Cuban sculptor José Vilalta Saavedra.
The sculptural group that crowns the main entrance of Colón Cemetery consists of three marble statues symbolizing 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."
