The Cristóbal Colón Necropolis is a magnificent urban funerary 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 distinguished Spanish architect won the public competition held by the Cemetery Board in Havana for the construction of Colón Cemetery.
The layout of the necropolis is divided into a large central cross that forms four major 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.
In their course, these avenues intersect perpendicularly, and at this intersection stands the Chapel, forming a roundabout in the center of the necropolis. The chapel of the Colón Cemetery has an octagonal design 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 necessary modifications 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, and 8,000 of them hold Heritage Protection Grades I and II.
The main façade, built between 1871 and 1874 using dressed stone, was designed by the architect Eugenio Rayneri. In 1899, this decorative ensemble received two bas-reliefs representing the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, both of which were created by the Cuban sculptor José Vilalta Saavedra.
The sculptural group that crowns the main entrance of the 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."
