The Cimetière des Rois (French: ''Cemetery of Kings'') (officially Cimetière de Plainpalais) is a cemetery in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The cemetery is commonly named after la ''rue des Rois'' (French: ''Kings' Street'') near which it is situated. The graveyard was established in 1482 for people who died from plague in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, during the

second plague pandemic The second plague pandemic was a major series of epidemics of Plague (disease), plague that started with the Black Death, which reached medieval Europe in 1346 and killed up to half of the population of Eurasia in the next four years. It followed ...

Personalities

The right to rest in the cemetery of Plainpalais is strictly limited. Under Article 30 (3) of the City of Geneva Cemeteries Regulations, only "magistrates and distinguished personalities, having contributed by their life and activity to the influence of Geneva", p. 6. can claim a concession whose request must be made to the Administrative Council. In the cemetery are buried

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

(the Protestant reformer),

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...

(the Argentine author), Sérgio Vieira de Mello (the former

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univer ...

), Ernest Ansermet (renowned Swiss conductor), and

Jean Piaget Jean William Fritz Piaget (, ; ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called genetic epistemology. ...

A full-color version of the published photo of Piaget's grave can be foun
here
although this is covered by copyright and permission is required from the APA for its re-use. (the noted developmental psychologist and epistemologist). The composers Frank Martin,

Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical music, 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography G ...

, Denis de Rougemont, Griselidis Real and Alice Rivaz, Jeanne de Salzmann, chemist

Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several Chemical element, e ...

, editor François Lachenal,

Robert Musil Robert Musil (; 6 November 1880 – 15 April 1942) was an Austrian philosophical writer. His unfinished novel, ''The Man Without Qualities'' (), is generally considered to be one of the most important and influential modernist novels. Family M ...

and actor François Simon are also buried there. Politicians are also buried there, such as Adrien Lachenal ( President of the Confederation), Paul Lachenal, Antoine Carteret, Willy Donzé, and Gustave Moynier (President of the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

). Max van Berchem (founder of Arabic epigraphy), and

Eglantyne Jebb Eglantyne Jebb (25 August 1876 – 17 December 1928) was a British social reformer who founded the Save the Children organisation at the end of World War I to relieve the effects of famine in Austria-Hungary and Germany. She drafted the docu ...

(founder of

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

, drafter of

Declaration of the Rights of the Child The Declaration of the Rights of the Child, sometimes known as the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, is an international document promoting child rights, drafted by Eglantyne Jebb and adopted by the League of Nations in 1924, and adop ...

)

Gallery

File:Tombe Calvin.jpg, Traditional grave of Calvin; the exact location of the grave in the cemetery is unknown File:Grab Jorge Luis Borges.JPG, The grave of

File:Cimetière des Rois, allée centrale, Genève.jpg, Central pathway, Plainpalais cemetery File:Tomb of Adrien Lachenal, Kings Cemetery, Geneva.jpg, The grave of Swiss President Adrien Lachenal File:Davygrave.jpg, The grave of notable British scientist

Sir Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several Chemical element, e ...

File:Plan du cimetière des Rois, Genève.jpg, Map of the Kings Cemetery, Geneva

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cimetiere des Rois Cemeteries in Switzerland Tourist attractions in Geneva Buildings and structures in Geneva Cemeteries established in the 15th century