Only a few examples of a woman bringing a finger to her lips can be found in Recoleta Cemetery. Deriving from the notion that the deceased are resting or sleeping, silence demonstrates respect & allows for introspection by visitors.
Leave a Comment
Another back wall gem, the tomb of Massimiliano Bencich has little to identify it other than two initials: BH. The Latin inscription doesn’t help much… “In te Domine speravimus” is a modified phrase from the hymn Te Deum meaning “Lord, in thee we have trusted.” Fortunately a single plaque gives away his full name, so the BH must stand for Bencich Hermanos—real estate investors & constructors who gave Buenos Aires some of its most iconic buildings.
Born in Trieste (northeastern Italy) in 1885, Massimiliano arrived in Buenos Aires in 1910… one year after his brother, Miguel Juan María Bencich. Massimiliano was three years older than Miguel but the younger sibling seemed to be the more enterprising of the pair. Miguel had experience with construction, so the brothers joined forces during the boom years of Buenos Aires. Forming Bencich Hermanos in 1915, they constructed office space & apartments for decades. One of their most recognizable buildings is on Diagonal Norte, one block from Plaza de Mayo. The second photo below was taken during restoration of the domes in 2007:
Another high-rise at Arroyo 841 was purchased & renovated by the Sofitel hotel chain in 2002… as seen from the Edificio Kavanagh & looking up from the main entrance:
Another sits majestically on the 800 block of Avenida Córdoba & Alfonsina Storni was its most famous resident:
Several other Bencich buildings grace the BA skyline with their interesting domes. Not to be outdone, the tomb in Recoleta Cemetery has an equally beautiful stained glass, onion-shaped dome:
A massive, marble casket rests inside:
Miguel passed away in 1965 & Massimiliano followed soon after in 1972. But only the elder brother is currently buried here… Miguel Bencich can be found in a tomb near Rufina Cambacérès. But with BH inscribed above the door & the modified Latin hymn, they likely intended to be buried together.
3 Comments
An oversized tombstone sits along the rear wall. Even this simple design is appropriately over the top since the tombstone measures the height of an average person. Wonder what the bolts once held.
Leave a Comment
As if the first & second Dellepiane weren’t enough, a third vault with an Art Deco-inspired door can also be found… plaques mention a Luis F. Dellepiane who worked in the Colegio Nacional Central:
Lots of Dellepiane tombs are scattered through the cemetery, but this vault holds two of the most important family members. Antonio Dellepiane chose not to practice law after graduating with honors & much praise in 1892. Instead, he focused on education in criminology. As first professor of the newly-established Sociology department at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Antonio traveled to Europe to bring back the latest theories & teachings to Argentina.
Several books & faculty positions later, Antonio excelled in another field: history. In the early 1920s, he was named Director of the Museo Histórico Nacional & used his position to write several historical biographies. With access to original documentation, Antonio discovered the lives of two important women, María Sánchez de Thompson & Carmen Nóbrega de Avellaneda (wife of President Nicolás Avellaneda). He passed away in 1939 & a plaque was donated by master sculptor Rogelio Yrurtia on the first anniversary of his death:
During the 1919 Semana Trágica, Lieutenant General Luis J. Dellepiane restored order to Buenos Aires after a metalworkers’ union strike spiraled out of control. He had previously been in charge of the city’s police force after the 1909 assassination of Ramón Falcón & remained in that position until 1912. By 1919, Luis had assumed command of the Second Division of the Argentine army stationed in Campo de Mayo. Luis marched his troops into Buenos Aires to engage striking workers at the request of the Minister of War. Violence continued & almost 1,000 people died in the most violent social uprising ever seen in the city.
Luis would later be appointed Minister of War during Hipólito Yrigoyen’s second term & resigned when fellow general José Félix Uriburu ousted the President in 1930. Oddly enough, Luis also studied to be a civil engineer & did the first geodetic studies of Argentina. Only two plaques commemorate Luis, none of which mention his role in the Semana Trágica:
