The Agramonte Cemetery is a cemetery in the city of

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, in Portugal which dates back to 1855.

History

The cemetery was opened in 1855, in the western part of the city. It was a public cemetery opened hastily in response to a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

outbreak, for which the main cemetery of the city, the Cemetery of Prado do Repouso, which had opened sixteen years earlier, and the existing private cemeteries, proved unsuitable. The cemetery chapel was built between 1870 and 1874, designed by engineer Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves, and expanded in 1906 by architect José Marques da Silva. The Byzantine-style frescoes were the work of Italian painter Silvestro Silvestri, in 1910.The cemetery contains private cemeteries of three

Religious orders A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their founders, and have a d ...

; the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

, the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

and the

Trinitarians The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives (; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Paris, in the late 12th century. From the very o ...

, who had negotiated with Porto City Council to have private areas within Agramonte to replace their cemeteries, which were in danger of being closed down. In the 1870s the authorities started to allow the erection of monuments and family

mausoleums A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the Chamber tomb, burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's Cadaver, remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be ...

, which attracted more-affluent families to the cemetery, which had previously been used mainly by poorer people. Agramonte Cemetery is surrounded by a high stone wall. Its area is about 12 hectares.

Burials

The cemetery contains a large memorial to the 120 victims of a fire that destroyed the Teatro Baquet in 1888. It is constructed largely from pieces of the theatre building that survived the fire. Several well-known people are buried in the cemetery, such as the archaeologist

António Augusto da Rocha Peixoto Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

, the cellist Guilhermina Suggia, the filmmaker

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wor ...

and the actress Emília Eduarda. The tombs, with works by

António Soares dos Reis António Manuel Soares dos Reis (Vila Nova de Gaia, 14 October 1847 - Vila Nova de Gaia, 16 February 1889) was a Portuguese sculptor. Studies He first studied at the Portuense Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in sculpture in 1867. He st ...

and

António Teixeira Lopes António Teixeira Lopes (27 October 1866–21 June 1942) was a Portuguese sculptor. Life Teixeira Lopes was the son of sculptor José Joaquim Teixeira Lopes and started learning his art in his father's workshop. In 1882 he entered the Acad ...

, provide a representative collection of Portuguese sculptural work. CemiterioAgramonte-Porto-PT-2015

Burials include: * Abigail de Paiva Cruz (1883–1944), painter, sculptor and activist *

(1866–1909), archaeologist *

António Carneiro António Teixeira Carneiro Júnior (16 September 1872 – 31 March 1930) was a Portuguese painter, illustrator, poet and art professor. Biography Born into a working-class family, at the age of seven, he was abandoned by his father and lost his m ...

(1872–1930), painter, poet and professor * Berta Alves de Sousa (1906–1997), pianist and composer * Edgar Cardoso (1913–2000), civil engineer * Emília Eduarda (1843–1908), actress and playwright * Gonçalo Sampaio (1865–1937), professor, anthropologist and botanist * Guilhermina Suggia (1885–1950), violinist *

Helena Sá e Costa Helena Moreira de Sá e Costa (26May 19139January 2006) was a pianist, concert performer and teacher. Early life and education She was the granddaughter of Bernardo Valentim Moreira de Sá (founder of the Porto Music Conservatory) and daughter ...

(1913–2006), pianist * Júlio Dinis (1839–1871), writer and doctor * (1879–1960), composer, pianist and teacher *

(1908–2015), filmmaker * Pedro Blanco López (1883–1919), composer, pianist and teacher * Pedro de Oliveira (1823–1883), architect * Tomásia Veloso (1864–1888), actress and singer

References

{{Authority control Cemeteries in Portugal Religious buildings and structures in Porto Tourist attractions in Porto