Documenting Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires since 2007
AfterLife Posts
Urns are typically associated with cremation. But as a Catholic cemetery for most of its history, cremation was prohibited or discouraged by church officials. During the last 50 years, rules have been relaxed in part due to high expenses incurred from traditional burial services. Cremation has become more common, but traditional Catholics would still frown at the idea.
Remember that vaults in Recoleta Cemetery are meant to be used by families over successive generations. As the earthly remains of past generations decay over time, they can be transferred to smaller containers to make room for current family members. Although it may seem a bit gruesome, there’s no need to keep an entire casket when there are only ashes inside. Just as many caskets are traditionally draped with a cloth or shroud, so are urns.
As a decorative motif, draped urns can be found in special niches:
Or decorating the corners of family vaults:
Urns may be accompanied by an image of a woman in mourning:
They are even prominently displayed at the service entrance & on the main gate:
And as Lisandro mentioned in the comments below: “Often but not always, Christian communities during Lent use a cross with a cloth draped over its arms. This cloth is associated with the shroud of Christ left in the tomb after resurrection, & for that reason it is considered a sign of life & hope.”
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Although the altar blocks a portion of the stained glass, this scene of Christ descending from the cross is exquisite:
And fortunately I could fit my zoom lens through the door. The glass panel is signed by Talleres Francisco Mary from 1896. They were one of the most sought-after stained glass workshops to decorate family vaults. An alternate spelling which sometimes appears is “Mari”… definitely worthy of a scavenger hunt:
While the Parravicini tomb may not be the most elaborate, Benjamín made some astonishing predictions about world events. Whether you’re a believer or not, Parravicini is recognized as Argentina’s most accomplished psychic.
Born in 1898, Parravicini was surrounded by paranormal events his whole life. But in the 1930s he began to receive messages… he compared it to someone whispering in his ear. These voices guided him in something he termed “psychographies”—sketches drawn without any conscious thought. Devoutly Catholic & horrified by his apparent gift, he destroyed many of these drawings. But quite a few survived & a large percentage have become true. Events that Parravicini predicted include the development & use of the atomic bomb, the invention of television, the Cold War & even cloning.
The most recent & shocking event Parravicini predicted was the destruction of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Two of his drawings are surprisingly accurate. The first is a sketch of the Statue of Liberty dated 1939 with the following text: “The liberty of North America will lose its light. Its torch will no longer shine as it once did & the monument will be attacked two times.”
Another sketch shows a jumbled New York City skyline with the Statue of Liberty split into two separate towers. The crown appears to be an explosion. Critics would say that Parravicini wasn’t 100% accurate, but believers think that he merged the image of the Towers (not yet built) with that of the Statue of Liberty:
Intrigued? Doubtful? More biographical information & further predictions can be found here. Many of the events to come concern aliens: the discovery of an alien base on the dark side of the moon, alien visitors coming to obtain sea algae they need for food, & aliens will cure all of mankind’s diseases. It’s a much friendlier type of contact than “War of the Worlds” or “Independence Day” would have us believe.
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