Colon Cemetery, Havana
| Colon Cemetery, Havana (Christopher Columbus Cemetery) | |
|---|---|
Main Gate | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1876 |
| Location | Vedado, Havana |
| Country | Cuba |
| Coordinates | 23°07′23″N 82°23′55″W / 23.12306°N 82.39861°W |
| Style | Classical |
| Owned by | Revolutionary government (contested) |
| Size | 49.57 hectares (122.5 acres) |
| No. of graves | 800,000 |
| No. of interments | over 1 million |
El Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón (English: the Christopher Columbus Cemetery), also called La Necrópolis de Cristóbal Colón, was founded in 1876 in the Vedado neighbourhood of Havana, Cuba, to replace the Espada Cemetery in the Barrio de San Lázaro. Named for Christopher Columbus, the cemetery is noted for its many elaborately sculpted memorials. It is estimated the cemetery has more than 500 major mausoleums. Before the Espada Cemetery and the Colon Cemetery were built, interments took place in crypts at the various churches throughout Havana, for example, at the Havana Cathedral or Church Crypts in Havana Vieja.