Neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival became popular in Buenos Aires during the early & mid-1800’s. Gothic buildings date from the 12th to 15th century, but period styles were reproduced several centuries later… a bit of nostalgia for the past. Characteristics include tall steeples, fancy pinnacles, & pointed arches. Unfortunately plot limitations in Recoleta Cemetery do not allow for flying buttresses. No matter, searching for Neo-Gothic mausoleums makes an excellent photo scavenger hunt:
Ida rarely gets a visitor since she shares the same row as Eva Perón… nothing like being upstaged by the cemetery’s most well-known resident. Perhaps due to Ida’s proximity to Evita, an urban legend developed around her death based on the evocative statue of a young woman reaching for a fallen rose.
Unable to confirm any factual evidence, most guides claim Ida fell to death from an upper story balcony… hence the statue. Seems like someone had an overactive imagination, but the best part about this mausoleum is that it contains some of the most overlooked Art Nouveau in Recoleta Cemetery.
The door is difficult to appreciate given the narrow width of sidewalk in front but is quite an impressive work of art:
Interior photos are difficult due to glass reflections & low light levels, but peeking inside is easy. The mosaics & carved marble tomb shouldn’t be missed:
After seeing Eva Perón, wander toward the wall instead of returning to the main walkway. Ida is on the right-hand side waiting for some attention too.
Like Art Nouveau? Learn about the architects of the era, their individual styles & what makes Art Nouveau in Buenos Aires so unique with a 33-page guide from our sister site, Endless Mile.
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Not a bad shot considering how difficult it was to take. The Ramos family likes their privacy so mausoleum doors are covered with closed curtains. But a small glass panel above the doors allows for an arm-stretching, blind shot & reveals this beautiful stained glass image of the Immaculate Conception.
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Young deaths are tragic to everyone, but it must be devastating to living parents. Inés Lucía Morra Victorica—known to her family as Baby—passed away in Paris at the age of 21, & her parents left no doubt about their sentiments. Below is the original inscription in Italian followed by a translation into English:
Raro esempio di grazia di bellezza di bonta, illuminando col sorriso la sventura, lenendo colla pietá il dolore. Baby Morra seppe con le doti eccelse della mente e del cuore vincere l’alta distinzione di un nome illustre. I genitori qui preceduti straziati inconsolabili seppellirono con essa il cuore, la pace, l’energia, la speme.
Rare example of grace, of beauty, of kindness, illuminating misfortune with a smile, relieving pain with pity. Baby Morra knew with her generous heart & mind how to overcome the distinction of an upper-class name. The parents here with inconsolable surrender bury with her emotions, peace, energy, hope.
The dedication gives some hint to Baby Morra’s family background & her parents eventually joined her in the same mausoleum. Carlos Morra was the Marquis of Monterocchetta, born in Benevento, Italy in 1854. He trained to be a military engineer & arrived in Argentina during initial waves of immigration in 1881. Early collaboration with French immigrant architect Norberto Maillart allowed him to work on the centennial expo in Plaza San Martín in Buenos Aires. His military background was also put to good use by the Argentine government with several installations designed by Morra.
But the character of his work shifted from military to civic over time. Morra built the Palace Hotel on Avenida Alem for Nicolás Mihanovich in 1905, directly across the street from where the Mihanovich company headquarters would be located in 1912:
After designing several houses, Morra was appointed head architect for the Nacional Education Council (Consejo Nacional de Educación). A series of schools still in use today were built by Morra & left a distinct mark on Buenos Aires. Probably his most recognized school is that of Presidente Roca, located in a prime spot on Plaza Lavalle just across the street from the Teatro Colón:
Another landmark building designed by Morra was projected to be headquarters for the National Lottery but instead became the National Library:
Morra continued to win recognition throughout his lifetime from both Argentina & Italy, was elected President of the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos several times, & continued to design buildings until his death in 1926. Also of interest, Morra has another construction in Recoleta Cemetery… a tomb for the Cascallares de Paz family:
For further information about Carlos Morra’s contributions to Argentine architecture, consult Alejandro Machado’s blog: Arquitectos Italianos en Buenos Aires (in Spanish).
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As reported by every other blog concerned with saving the architectural heritage of Buenos Aires, the entrance gate staircase for Recoleta Cemetery is currently being demolished. Just like that. No one could have foreseen that repavement of the sidewalk adjacent to the cemetery could have generated such a blatant disregard for the city’s biggest tourist attraction.
The need for some sort of change of the staircase comes from poor planning. By using thicker, pre-fabricated sidewalk tiles, the new sidewalk level is higher than the original & exceeds the base of the staircase:
As reported by Sergio Kiernan in a mocking article appearing in Página/12’s architecture supplement m2, workers began breaking up the Carrara marble staircase with hammers before Teresa de Anchorena (member of both city & national heritage organizations) found out about the destruction on May 20th. She contacted Jorge Sábato—city Subsecretary for Urban Projects, Architecture & Infrastructure—reminding him of the mistake being made. According to Kiernan, Sábato did not respond to Anchorena’s communiqué. It was too late… several local residents had already taken pieces of staircase marble home with them as souvenirs.
Sábato’s next-in-command Miguel Ortemberg sent a letter six days later to the National Commission of Museums, Monuments & Historical Places requesting advice on how to modify the cemetery’s staircase after the damage had already been done:
Days passed while Sábato & Ortemberg submitted a variety of documents to the city legislature claiming that there would be drainage problems given the new sidewalk level. Only one solution existed & the marble staircase would be removed & stored for any future solution or modification. All lies. Another problem they cited was the lack of a permanent disability ramp for cemetery access. Adding insult to injury, both Sábato & Ortemberg are degree-holding architects. Their solution was destruction over preservation.
With officials like Sábato & Ortemberg in charge, there is little question why so much destruction of the city’s architectural heritage has happened in recent years. In spite of being listed as a National Historic Monument in 2007, the cemetery entrance gate has lost an irreplaceable part of its foundation & only serves to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of local & national government. At the very least, Sábato & Ortemberg should be removed from their posts & fined for the cost of replacing the staircase… an exorbitant amount given that 5 cm thick pieces of Carrara marble are rarely found these days.
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Update (25 Jan 2010): Six months of inaction & the cemetery entrance remains a construction site. After completion of the ramp, the makeshift barricades pictured above remained in place for several months. Only recently has an attempt been made to hide from plain sight the destruction of the staircase. A scaled photograph of the column bases currently wraps around half the entrance gate until city authorities decide what to do:
