Description of the attraction
The Certosa cemetery on the outskirts of Bologna appeared in 1801, much later than the Carthusian monastery of San Girolamo was founded here in the 14th century. Today it is one of the most famous cemeteries in Europe. Already at the entrance from the side of Via della Certosa, you can see a huge monument dedicated to Italian sports heroes - Olindo Radji, Amedeo Rudgeri and others, and among the graves and tombstones there are impressive sculptures - masterpieces of world art masters. However, Certosa is not only a kind of place where you can enjoy works of art, but also a kind of "time machine" with the help of which ancient traditions and customs are revealed. Moreover, it is here that the masters of the past left a message for future generations - the cemetery is called the equivalent of a modern catwalk.
On the territory of Certosa are buried members of the famous and most influential families of Bologna - Gianstefani, Zoboli, Maragoni, Tomba, Parenti, Gambini and others. Among the sculptors who worked on the tombstones and family crypts, one can name De Maria, Putti, Bartolini, Vela, artists Basoli, Palagi and Fancelli also noted here.
Certosa arose as a result of changes in legislation, according to which, from the end of the 18th century, all cemeteries were to be located outside the city. Napoleon's edict, issued a few years later, only strengthened this rule. At the same time, architects began to come up with extravagant monuments and projects of private chapels for the noble inhabitants of Bologna, artists began to decorate tombs, and sculptors began to make memorial figures.
Here, in the Certosa cemetery, are buried the politician Minghetti, the painters Morandi and Saetti, the great writers Carducci and Bakchelli, the composer Respighi, the industrialists Maseratti, Weber and Zanicelli. Visitors' attention is drawn to the exquisite building of the Talon family chapel. The remains of many high-ranking officers are also buried here - a War Memorial is dedicated to the memory of those who fell during the Second World War on the Russian front. The feat of soldiers and partisans who died during the First World War is immortalized by a huge crypt.
In the 19th century, earthworks were carried out on the territory of Certosa, during which an ancient burial of the Etruscan era was discovered. Scientists with world names came here, and as a result, amazing discoveries were made - today these findings can be seen in the City Archaeological Museum.
