The Santa Ifigênia Cemetery, officially Santa Ifigênia Patrimonial Cemetery (), is the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

, necropolis and main pantheon of the Cuban Oriente and the city of

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

. It is located west of the city, more specifically in the José Martí district and stands out for being the resting place of the remains of a large number of heroes and famous figures in the history and culture of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, including

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; 28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was a Cuban nationalism, nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in ...

and

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

. The signature resting place is that of José Martí, Cuba's national hero, whose mausoleum is guarded by Cuban soldiers at the entrance. At every half hour, visitors can see the changing of the guard.

History

It was inaugurated in February 1868 and in April of the same year the first burials took place. It was declared a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

in 1937 and ratified by

's government in 1979. The cemetery opened in 1868 to replace smaller Cemetery of Santa Ana. It contains the remains of 32 generals from Cuba's wars of independence and those of most of those who assaulted the Moncada Barracks. The most important mausoleum is dedicated to José Julián Martí Pérez, the National Hero, who was buried together with the other mambises veterans from 1947 to 1951, with the current tomb being inaugurated on June 30, 2002, which is guarded by a permanent

guard of honour A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

since 2002. The cemetery is reached by public transit from bus stops across Avenida Capitán Raúl Perozo. Parking is available for buses at the entrance of the cemetery. On November 25, 2016, the then President of the Council of State and Ministers

Raúl Castro Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz ( ; ; born 3 June 1931) is a Cuban retired politician and general who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the One-par ...

, informed

and the world of the death of his brother Fidel, historic leader of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

and who led the country for almost five decades, and on the day December 4, 2016, his burial took place in this cemetery.

Notable burials and memorials

Cemetry Santa Ifigenia Santiago de Cuba - Changing of the Guards

(d. 1895) – National Hero * Carlos Manuel de Céspedes – Father of the Nation *

(d. 2016) – Leader of Cuba and revolutionary * Dominga Moncada – General Guillermón Moncada’s mother * Antonio Maceo – General of the Cuban Independence Army * Facundo Bacardi – Founder of Bacardi * Emilio Bacardi – son of the founder of Bacardi fortune Facundo Bacardi * Elvira Cape de Bacardi, Emilio's wife * Frank País (d. 1957) – Cuban revolutionary * María Cabrales – Wife of Antonio Maceo * Mariana Grajales – Maceos’ mother * Nikolai Yavorsky (d. 1947) – Russian born choreographer *

Mario García Menocal Aurelio Mario Gabriel Francisco García Menocal y Deop (December 17, 1866 – September 7, 1941) was the 3rd President of Cuba, serving from 1913 to 1921. His term as president saw Cuba's participation in the Allies in World War I. Early li ...

– Third President of Cuba * Evaristo Estenoz – Leader of the 1912 Negro Rebellion * Tomás Estrada Palma – First President of Cuba * Compay Segundo – Guitarist, singer, and composer * Pantheon of the Dead for the Defense * Pantheon to the Martyrs of Virginius * Pantheon of the Revolution's Martyrs * The Heroes' Altarpiece * Tomb of Martyrs of San Juan de Wilson

Gallery

File:2020 MG 5117.jpg, Mausoleum dedicated to the national hero

. File:Mausoleo José Martí , Santiago de Cuba 32.jpg, Tomb of José Martí. File:Tumba de Fidel Castro Ruz CF9A1523.jpg, Tomb of

. File:Cemetry Santa Ifigenia Santiago de Cuba - Grave of Antonio Maceo.jpg, Tomb of Antonio Maceo.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Cemetery Santa Ifigenia of Santiago de Cuba
Photos of the Mausoleum of José Martí
(in Spanish)

on ''

TripAdvisor Tripadvisor is an American company that operates online travel agency, travel agencies, comparison shopping websites, and mobile apps with user-generated content. Its namesake brand, Tripadvisor.com, operates in 40 countries and 20 languages, and ...

''
Changing of the guard
on ''

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

'' Cemeteries in Cuba 1868 establishments in Cuba 19th-century architecture in Cuba

History

Notable burials and memorials

Gallery

See also

References

External links