Cemetery of Punta Arenas Sara Braun is the public cemetery of the city of
Punta Arenas,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. It has four
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s and is located in the northern area of the city, in Bulnes Avenue, and between the streets Francisco Bilbao and Angamos. There are three entrances: the main entrance is in Bulnes Avenue, and two other entrances are in Francisco Bilbao and Angamos streets. Since the cemetery had long ago reached its capacity, it has been supplemented and largely replaced by a controversial newer cemetery further to the north of the city, though the earlier site retains its status as a "monument cemetery."
The cemetery has been ranked by
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. It was designated a
National Monument of Chile in 2012.
Origins
Under the administration of the
Governor Manuel Señoret, the cemetery was inaugurated on 9 April 1894. This saint field was built in order to replace the old one, which was located where
José de los Santos Mardones Square is today.
The area was donated by the pioneer
Sara Braun
Sara Braun (17 December 1862 – 22 April 1955) was a Latvian-born Chilean businesswoman who became one of the principal employers in Patagonia. After emigrating with her family from the Russian Empire to escape persecution because of their Je ...
and in 1919 the engineer
Fortunato Circutti designed the whole portico and walls that surround the cemetery.
eeds to be re-written in proper English
Important Characters
Relevant figures in the history of
Punta Arenas are buried in the cemetery of that city. It is important to mention the chapels of the great families of that epoch such as
Menèndez-Behety,
Braun Hamburger,
Blanchard
Blanchard is a French family name. It is also used as a given name. It derives from the Old French word ''blanchart'' which meant "whitish, bordering upon white". It is also an obsolete term for a white horse.
Geographical distribution
As of 2014, ...
,
Greenshields,
Kusanovic and
Menèndez-Montes. Menèndez-Behety was one of the most influential families during that time and they founded several companies and acquired large tracts of land in the
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an
Patagonia.
Antonio Soto, one of the leaders of the
Patagonia Rebelde labor uprising in Argentina, is also buried in the cemetery.
Charles Amherst Milward, a British sailor and the inspiration behind
Bruce Chatwin's travel classic ''
In Patagonia
''In Patagonia'' is an English travel book by Bruce Chatwin, published in 1977, about Patagonia, the southern part of South America.
Preparations
During the Second World War, Chatwin and his mother stayed at the home of his paternal grandparen ...
'', is buried here.
The Legends of the Cemetery
The cemetery of Punta Arenas is well known because of its attractive legends that transform the place into a magical environment of mystery. Some of the urban legends associated with the site are:
* When Sara Braun gave everything for building the entrance of the cemetery, she asked for something. After her death, the central door of the cemetery had to be closed forever. Nowadays, that door is still closed and has not been opened since Sara Braun's death. Another legend about Braun is that she is uninterred each year on 1 November to have her makeup redone and hair styled.
* Another known legend of the cemetery is the one concerning the “
Indio Desconocido”. Everything started in 1930 when an Indian died in the Island called
Diego de Almagro. The Indian was buried in the cemetery due to a donation from the administration of the same place. After twenty years, someone discovered several candles and coins around the grave. The years passed by and in 1968 the grave were plenty of papers demonstrating gratitude for being helped by the Indian. Moreover, a woman named
Magdalena Vrsalovic decided to donate the coins, in order to help the
Cruz Roja of Punta Arenas, a Chilean Institution that helps the community in case of difficulties. Therefore, Magdalena and other people agreed to build a monumental grave with the figure of the Indian made by
Edmundo Casanova.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cemeteries in Chile
Punta Arenas
Buildings and structures in Magallanes Region
Tourist attractions in Magallanes Region