Monumental cemetery Certosa in Bologna

Italian Bologna is a city full of galleries and arcades, and tourists visit the local cemetery Certosa of the Cartesian monastery not only for its centuries-old history and thoughts about the eternal, here you can see stunning architecture, old crypts, painted gravestones and impressive monuments.

The Cartesian monastery was founded in 1334, but in 1797 Napoleon Bonaparte gave the order to close it. Four years later, a cemetery was organized on its territory. At that time, only the church of St. Girolamo remained from the buildings of the monastery.

In those days, the Bologna official and nobility were distinguished by a passion for creating family crypts, which over time turned the necropolis into a real museum full of beautiful works of art and architecture.

Currently, the cemetery is included by the Council of Europe in the list of the main places included in the route for the study of European cultural heritage.

When walking around Certose cemetery, it is best to use the scheme so as not to get lost in the endless galleries and passages, as well as to examine this amazing place in as much detail as possible.

To get to some crypts you need to go down the stairs. Do not be afraid of the dark, the light turns on there automatically, you just have to take a step.

At this monumental cemetery, such well-known figures of science, politics and art as Prime Minister Marco Mingetti, Nobel laureate in literature Josue Carducci, opera singer Farinelli, artists Bruno Saetti and Giorgio Morandi and many others are buried.

Once Certosa was a place where it was simply necessary to visit with the participation in the Grand Tours, which were organized for wealthy aristocrats and involved a long journey through continental Europe. As part of such tours, Stendhal, Byron and Dickens have been here. And many of the writers mentioned the Certosa cemetery in their novels.

On the territory of Certosa there is also a children's cemetery. Being there is quite difficult, so if you know about its location, it is best to bypass this area.

Since this place is considered one of the most picturesque in Bologna, the Certosa Cemetery hosts numerous exhibitions, concerts and night tours to study urban history and art.