A cemetery is a special and mystic place, a place for some reflection and meditative walks. When I travel or visit cities, I find it interesting and fascinating to visit the local cemeteries. Cemeteries seem a bit creepy, but for me they are like a library full of history and imagination. Wandering around, reading headstones, watching beautiful decorated historical tombes, sculptures, engravings. Cemeteries are witnesses of local history.
The cemetery 'La villetta' in Parma is a beautifully maintained cemetery. It was Napoleon who decided in 1804 to break the connection between church and the burials of the dead in the graveyard. Cemeteries had to become independent from churches and their churchyards.
The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but a graveyard primarily refers to a burial ground within a churchyard.
In 1800, it was no longer allowed considered for hygienic reasons that the dead were buried in the church or churchyard. It was Napoleon that introduced in that time the concept 'cemetery' and 'concession'. A concession is a right to use a portion of land in a cemetery exclusively for burial purposes. There was a lot of resistance against these new regulations from the church and the population. But the result was that, instead of graveyards, completely new - well organized and well structured - cemeteries were established away from heavily populated areas and outside of the old towns and the city centers.
The design and construction of the cemetery 'la villetta' started under the reign of Marie Louise of Austria and has the neoclassical style that was really fashionable in those days. The original plan was octagonal and was then expanded several times, resulting in a mix of styles.
The first funerals took place in March 1818 as a result of outbreaks of Typhoid fever in Parma. Impressive is the fact that in this cemetery a lot of people are buried above (and not in) the ground.
In southern European countries it seems common to bury people in an "above-ground grave", a mausoleum, columbarium, niche, or other edifice. In these so-called 'crypt wall' or large family chapels the coffins are, sometimes, stacked in up to 10 levels. In meantime there is also in Italy a trend shift from burials to incinerations.
The families use ladders for the maintenance of the niches in order to decorate the plaque with flowers or pictures. During all Saints Day this activity is an amazing sight.
As you see on the pictures, it is also in Parma common to bury the dead in graves above the ground. The reason might be the high level of the surface water which slows down decomposing process of the human body. Although burying above ground is already allowed and introduced in Belgium it is not really established as in Italy.
The families pay much attention to funeral art and the design of family tombes. As a result this cemetery and by extension the cemeteries in the region have an important funerary heritage and historic value.
One of the famous graves at the cemetery 'La villetta' is the one of the famous and known violist Paganini.
Paganini was born in Genova. Normally he should have been buried at the cemetery in Genova, but his remains ended at the cemetery in Parma. Paganini died of an internal bleeding on May 27, 1840, before a priest could administer his last sacraments. For this reason and because of the "rumors" that he would rave with the devil, the church refused his body to be buried according catholic religion in Genova. It took four years and an intervention of the Pope, before his body was allowed to be transported to Genova. Finally he was not allowed to be buried in Genova. Thats the reason why he ended up in Parma in 1876.
Those who want to visit the cemetery (you should !!): there are regular tours and at the entrance of the cemetery you can find a map with 4 different routes.
More info at http://www.cimiterodellavilletta.parma.it and http://adespa.it/
At regular times guided tours are organised. The calendar can be consulted at http://adespa.it/
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