- People often think of cemeteries as uncomfortable and sad, but there are many gorgeous graveyards throughout the world.
- A beautiful cemetery can serve as a place of reflection for mourners, as well as an interesting tourist attraction for visitors.
- A ruin in Scotland, a sacred temple in Japan, and an oceanside park in Australia are just a few examples of stunning burial sites.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Some people are creeped out by cemeteries. Others find them to be sad, or depressing.
Those associations make sense, but cemeteries can also be incredibly beautiful. They're a great place to see architecture of the past, and many are designed with aesthetic appeal in mind to make mourners more comfortable when they visit their loved ones.
There's no shortage of beautiful cemeteries, and they can exemplify the different cultural approaches to death around the world. The "Merry Cemetery" in Romania takes a lighthearted approach to death with colorful tombstones, while a sacred temple in Japan honors Buddhist traditions.
These are 19 of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
The largest cemetery in Paris, France, the Pere Lachaise has 70,000 burial plots.
According to the Paris tourism website, the graveyard is named for King Louis XIV's confessor, Father François d'Aix de La Chaise. The cemetery takes up almost 2.5 acres, and you can see different kinds of graves from throughout history in the cemetery, from gothic structures to ancient mausoleums.
New York, New York's Trinity Church Cemetery is home to many a historical New Yorker, but its most notable resident is Alexander Hamilton.
Tucked in between office buildings in Wall Street, Trinity Church dates all the way back to 1697, per the Trinity website. The cemetery is small but rich in history, and it offers a respite from the busy life of downtown Manhattan.
"Maqbaratoshoara" literally translates to the Mausoleum of Poets, an apt name for the resting ground of artists and mystics in Tabriz, Iran.
As the See Iran tourist website explains, poets and mystics have been buried on the land for over 800 years, but the mausoleum itself wasn't built until the mid '70s. The large modern building is the final resting place for some 400 poets and others.
Săpânța, Romania's Merry Cemetery takes a lighter approach to death.
Unlike traditional cemeteries that meet death with solemnity, the Merry Cemetery chooses to laugh at death. Clever poems about a person's life are engraved onto colorful stones to take some of the heaviness out of loss. The tradition dates back to 1935, according to Atlas Obscura.
The ruin of St. Andrews Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland is home to an expansive cemetery.
St. Andrews Cathedral is a popular tourist destination in general, as it was the headquarters for the medieval Scottish Church, according to the Historic Environment Scotland website. The church was active as early as 700 CE, and a graveyard takes up a large portion of the property.
Over 1,100 family tombs sit in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans is home to many beautiful cemeteries, but the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is arguably the most famous. Named for the former city of Lafayette, the cemetery features over 500 wall vaults according to the New Orleans' tourism site, highlighting its lengthy history. Indeed, it was established as a burial site in 1833, per Trip Savvy.
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Recoleta Cemetery is most famous for being Eva Perón's burial site.
The graveyard was founded in 1822 according to the Recoleta website. It is one of Buenos Aires' main tourist attractions because of its size and the stunning construction of the tombs. The site also points out that around 90 tombs within the cemetery have been designated as Argentinian national landmarks, which helps ensure the graveyard can be visited for years to come.
Waverley Cemetery sits next to the sea in Sydney, Australia.
The oceanside graveyard was established in 1877 according to the Waverley website, and it now takes up almost 40 acres of land, where 50,000 grave sites sit. The Waverley staff offer professional tours of the cemetery.
Highgate is one of London, England's biggest cemeteries.
Highgate Cemetery was first opened in 1839, but it almost deteriorated to extinction until concentrated conservation efforts began in 1975, per the Highgate website. The historic site still adds new burial plots today.
Savannah, Georgia's Bonaventure Cemetery was featured in the films "Now and Then" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
Bonaventure was created in 1846, and it was designed in the Victorian style, per the Bonaventure Historical Society website. The cemetery is nearly 103 acres today.
The catholic graveyard Calvary Cemetery, located in Queens, New York, offers visitors a view of Manhattan.
The graveyard is a massive 365 acres, and more than 1,750,000 rest on the plot according to the Calvary website. The site notes that it was consecrated in 1848, and notable New York Catholics have been buried there ever since.
The Okunoin Temple serves as a pilgrimage location for Buddhists in Kōya, Wakayama, Japan.
The sacred land holds over 200,000 tombstones, according to the Travel Japan website, including the grave of Kobo Daishi, who founded Shingon Buddhism. It's the largest cemetery in Japan.
Arlington, Virginia's namesake cemetery is used to honor US veterans and their families.
Once belonging to Robert E. Lee's wife, Arlington was used as a cemetery in 1863 during the height of the Civil War, serving as added burial space for deceased soldiers according to the cemetery website. It became an official military graveyard in 1864, and it has been the property of the US Army ever since. Today, it has more than 400,000 graves.
Tall cypress trees frame the Cementerio Municipal in Punta Arenas, Chile.
Many wealthy families are buried in the large cemetery, according to CNN, including business woman Sara Braun. Legend has it that she requested she be the last person to pass through the cemetery's central doorway after she donated money for its reparation. That door is still sealed today.
Brooklyn, New York's Green-Wood Cemetery takes up over 478 acres, and it serves as a Revolutionary War historic site.
Green-Wood Cemetery is a National Landmark, as it's been a resting place for important American historical figures since its founding 1838, per the Green-Wood website. It's a popular tourist attraction, and it's most-visited by Revolutionary War buffs and bird-watchers. More than 560,000 people are buried in Green-Wood.
The Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel is the most important Jewish cemetery in the world.
Over 150,000 Jewish people have been buried in Mount of Olives according to Tourist Israel, and it's been a cemetery since biblical times. The graveyard has existed for over 3,000 years.
American historical figures rest in Granary Burying Ground in Boston, MA.
Granary was formed in 1660, and nearly 5,000 people have been buried there over the years according to the official Boston website. The site also notes that Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine were interred in Granary, as well as Paul Revere, highlighting its historical significance.
Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia became a popular park destination for families in the late 1800s.
Oakland Cemetery first formed to accommodate the growing population of Atlanta in the 1850s, but it reached its full size during the Civil War, per the Oakland website. As Atlanta rebuilt after the War, the 48-acre graveyard turned into a park-like destination, thanks to its refreshing greenery amid the city. Today, Oakland boasts over 50,000 visitors per year. The cemetery lists Margaret Mitchell, the author of "Gone With The Wind" as one of its most famous residents.
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, Czech Republic has 12,000 tombstones, but an estimated 100,000 are buried there.
The cramped look of the Old Jewish Cemetery stems from the historic lack of Jewish burial sites in Prague, as the Jewish Museum in Prague explained. To accommodate the Jewish population, the deceased had to be buried on top of one another. The oldest tomb in the graveyard dates back to 1439.
- Read more:
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