The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro (English: Román Baldorioty de Castro National Pantheon) is a tract of land in
Barrio Segundo
Segundo (''Barrio Segundo'') is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was organized in 1878. ...
of the city of
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
, originally designed as the city's
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
's first (and only) national pantheon.
It is the only cemetery dedicated as a museum in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Prior to being dedicated as a Panteón Nacional, it was known as Cementerio Viejo or as Cementerio Antiguo de Ponce, and is listed under that name on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. The Pantheon is named after
Román Baldorioty de Castro
Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, ...
, a prolific Puerto Rican politician, and firm believer of
Puerto Rican autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...
and
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
. His remains are located here.
The Pantheon also houses a small
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
about the history of
autonomism
Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tendenc ...
in the Island, and it is currently used both as a park and a venue for the expression of culture and the arts. It is called the
Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño
The Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño (English: Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism) is a small museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the political history of Puerto Rico with an emphasis on the contributions made by the municipality of ...
.
Prior to being turned into a National Pantheon in 1991, it was known as Antiguo Cementerio de Ponce (Ponce's Old Cemetery), to differentiate it from the newer (though now also over 100 years old)
Cementerio Civil de Ponce
Cementerio Civil de Ponce (Ponce Civil Cemetery), a.k.a., Cementerio Municipal de Ponce, is a historic burial ground in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1901. It was designed by Manuel V. Domenech. Some of the people buried at Cementerio C ...
(Ponce Civil Cemetery). Built in 1842, after the design of Antonio Torruella, the cemetery was enlarged in 1864, following the design of Nieto Blajol Iglesia. It closed in 1918.
History
![View of Ponce](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/View_of_Ponce.jpg)
On 13 February 1838, the secretary of the
Municipality of Ponce met with
civic
Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things:
General
*Civics, the science of comparative government
*Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community
*Civic center, a comm ...
leaders of the "Villa of Ponce" to discuss plans for building a new cemetery. The existing cemetery was in deplorable and bad condition, and it posed a danger to public health. Because the "Villa of Ponce" did not have the money to build the cemetery, a voluntary proportional contribution was established in which all neighbors were to contribute. A commission was named composed of one member of the Municipal Council and four neighbors of influence to open up a voluntary subscription, name a depository and to proceed with the construction of the cemetery until its completion. The project was to be carried out in a lot adjacent to the existing cemetery extending one hundred square "varas" (a measure of length equal to 0.84m. approximately). Named by vote to form the commission were the "Sor Sindico" '(secretary to the mayor of the "Villa") and the neighbor leaders Don Geronimo Ortiz, Don Tomas Souffront, Don Luis Font, and Don Mateo Maenamaxe. On 26 February 1838, the project was approved by the
mayor of Ponce. However, it was not until 1842 that the project was started out with the contributions of the neighbors of the "Villa". In 1843, the cemetery was inaugurated under the auspices of the mayor of Ponce, Don
Juan Rondon Martinez
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
, also the first person to be buried there. In 1864 the cemetery was enlarged and repaired. The new work consisted of repairs and construction of the enclosing walls and pathways, construction of new niches and construction of a chapel and mortuary. In 1915 the cemetery was closed down.
[State Historic Preservation Officer, Certifying Official; Armando Morales Pares, Architect, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 25 November 1983. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 3. Listing Reference Number 84003149. 5 January 1984.]
Architecture and construction
The cemetery consisted of well-designed small
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
s that were lined up following a central pathway followed by lateral ones, starting from the entrance of the cemetery to a
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
located at the end. Most structures were designed and constructed following the
neoclassical style that prevailed at that time. This style consisted of the use of columns and
pilaster
In classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...
s following the
Doric Doric may refer to:
* Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece
** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians
* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture
* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode
* Doric dialect (Scotland)
* Doric ...
,
Ionic or
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to:
*Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible:
**First Epistle to the Corinthians
**Second Epistle to the Corinthians
**Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox)
*A demonym relating to ...
order, barrel vaults, Greek
pediments
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedime ...
, Roman
arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es and other details characteristic of said style. The thick walls and piers were built using brick,
mortar, and "argamasa" (a mixture of crushed brick, sand, stone aggregate and lime). The enclosing walls were built of brick and mortar, and the part of the walls built in 1864 were built using stone and mortar. It was built in 1842 and enlarged in 1864.
Significance
Various illustrious Puerto Ricans of transcendental importance are buried here. The most important person buried in the cemetery is Don
Román Baldorioty de Castro
Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, ...
, distinguished patriot, journalist, educator, writer, orator, and
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
. In 1870, he was elected delegate to the Courts of Cadiz, where he opposed the slavery system of the time. He was responsible for most of the liberty amendments. On 23 March 1873, the abolition of slavery was proclaimed by Baldorioty de Castro.
Also buried there are
Don Juan Seix, founder of the
Ponce Fire Department, and
Don Juan Rondon Martinez, mayor of Ponce (founder of the cemetery and first person buried in it).
Another prominent mayor buried there is
Salvador de Vives
Salvador de Vives Rodó (1784 – 24 November 1845), also known as Salvador Vives, was a Puerto Rican hacendado and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1 January 1840 to 5 January 1842 and then again from 1 January 1844 to 24 November 1845. Hi ...
, who founded
Hacienda Buena Vista
Hacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives (or Buena Vista Plantation in English language, English), was a coffee plantation located in Barrio Magueyes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The original plantation dates from the 19th century. The planta ...
. Other people buried in the cemetery include
Juan Morel Campos
Juan Morel Campos (16 May 1857 – 12 May 1896), sometimes erroneously spelled ''Juan Morell Campos'', was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level. He composed over ...
and
Manuel G. Tavarez
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
, distinguished composers and musicians, most famous for their
danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dan ...
s (folkloric music typical of Puerto Rico) compositions,
and tenor of kings
Antonio Paoli
Antonio Paoli (14 April 1871 – 24 August 1946) was a Puerto Rican tenor. At the height of his fame, he was known as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame i ...
. It houses the remains of
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
hero
Casimiro Berenguer
Casimiro Berenguer Padilla was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the military instructor of the Cadets of the Republic (''Cadetes de la República'') who received permission from Ponce Mayor Tormos Diego to celebrate a parade on March 2 ...
, and members of the prominent
Seralles family, founders of the
Destileria Serralles, and after whom the
Castillo Serralles
Castillo (Spanish for "castle") may refer to:
People
* Castillo (surname)
Places Geography Dominican Republic
* Castillo, Dominican Republic, a town in Duarte Province, Dominican Republic
Nicaragua
* El Castillo (municipality), a municipali ...
took its name. Ex-governor
Roberto Sanchez Vilella's tomb is also buried there and the late mayor of Ponce,
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago (24 October 1942 – 17 January 2004), better known as "Churumba", was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as "El León Mayor ...
, has a mausoleum there.
Physical appearance
![Tomb of Casimiro Berenguer in Barrio Segundo, Ponce, PR (DSC00228)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Tomb_of_Casimiro_Berenguer_in_Barrio_Segundo%2C_Ponce%2C_PR_%28DSC00228%29.jpg)
The cemetery plan is shaped as a rectangle measuring approximately 157.71 meters in length by 84.31 meters wide. It is attached to a rectangular-shaped lot at the north-east corner measuring about 32.80 meters in length by 25.03 meters wide, and a small rectangular lot where the
mortuary
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...
used to be located, at the center of the south side of cemetery measuring about 14.13 meters wide by 8.97 meters in length.
[State Historic Preservation Officer, Certifying Official; Armando Morales Pares, Architect, Puerto Rico Historic Preservation Office. (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 25 November 1983. In ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form''. United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (Washington, D.C.) Page 2. Listing Reference Number 84003149. 5 January 1984.]
A small mortuary structure building used to stand at the entrance of the cemetery. Following this structure, small
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
s,
crypt
A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics.
Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
s and
niche
Niche may refer to:
Science
*Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development
*Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species
*Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
s were lined up on a central pathway that led to a small chapel located at the center of the cemetery. The cemetery was totally enclosed by very high walls that still remain. Most mausoleums and crypts were constructed following the
neo-classical style trend that prevailed at the time. Thick walls and
pier
image:Brighton Pier, Brighton, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg, Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.
A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of ...
s were used as the main structural system. These were constructed using brick/"argarnasa", stone and mortar.
The cemetery was closed in 1915 and it deteriorated since then. By 1984, it became subjected to vandalism; crypts and mausoleums were
plundered. On that year, it contained a variety of mausoleums, crypts and niches partially destroyed, and most of the cemetery was covered by heavy vegetation. The enclosing wall plaster had fallen down exposing the brick and stone to weather conditions.
Around 1990, the city of Ponce managed to salvage it. It repaired and reconstructed it, turning it into a National Pantheon. The architect in charge if its 1991 design was Virgilio Monsanto. The cemetery was at that time called ''Cementerio Viejo'' (English: Old Cemetery), but it was renamed ''Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro'' (English: Román Baldorioty de Castro National Pantheon). The city of Ponce also established a small museum about
autonomism
Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tendenc ...
. The city has also commissioned the
to perform a study to determine the viability and cost for the total reconstruction of the Pantheon.
Current use
The cemetery is not active for the burial of just-deceased people as it does not have an order by the
Puerto Rico Department of Health
The Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH) is one of the Cabinet-level agencies directly created by Article 4, Section 6 of the Constitution of Puerto Rico. It is headed by a Secretary of Health, appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico and re ...
to operate in that way due to the propensity of the terrain for landslides. Instead, it is used to transfer remains after a period of five years has lapsed. As of April 2014, the most-recently transferred remains were those of
Madeleine Velasco Alvarado
Madeleine may refer to:
Common meanings
*Madeleine (name), also Madeline, a feminine given name
*Madeleine (cake), a traditional sweet cake from France
*Mary Magdalene, also called the Madeleine
Arts and entertainment
*Madeleine (1919 film), ...
in 2008,
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago (24 October 1942 – 17 January 2004), better known as "Churumba", was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as "El León Mayor ...
in 2004, and
Simon Moret Gallart in 1998. In April 2014 the possibility of interment of the remains of
Cheo Feliciano
Cheo Feliciano (3 July 1935 – 17 April 2014) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa and bolero music. Feliciano was the owner of a recording company called "Coche Records". He was the first tropical singer to perform at the "Amira de ...
was being considered. Ponce Mayor Maria Melendez stated she would issue a municipal order to transfer Feliciano's remains to the Panteon, if possible after one year.
''Velatorio de Cheo Feliciano será este fin de semana.''
Inter News Service. 17 April 2014
See also
* Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul
The Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul ( en, Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Cemetery) is a cemetery in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the only cemetery in Puerto Rico with a group of niches built forming a basement, in which the bur ...
* Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño
The Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño (English: Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism) is a small museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the political history of Puerto Rico with an emphasis on the contributions made by the municipality of ...
* Cementerio Civil de Ponce
Cementerio Civil de Ponce (Ponce Civil Cemetery), a.k.a., Cementerio Municipal de Ponce, is a historic burial ground in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1901. It was designed by Manuel V. Domenech. Some of the people buried at Cementerio C ...
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panteon Nacional Roman Baldorioty De Castro
Cultural history of Puerto Rico
Spanish Revival architecture
National Register of Historic Places in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Neoclassical architecture in Puerto Rico
Museums in Ponce, Puerto Rico
1984 in Puerto Rico
1990 establishments in Puerto Rico
1842 establishments in Puerto Rico
Cemeteries in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico