Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The previous post showed the flower stands outside of this huge cemetery near the center of São Paulo.  Now let´s take a look inside of it.  Here I am approaching the entrance.

The grounds are well maintained and it is here that many of the flowers purchased at those stands also find their final resting place. (I couldn't resist that)

It was very serene and peaceful in the cemetery.

In the very center of these graves is a Catholic chapel.


The site slopes downward from the entrance,  occasionally offering views like this.


On the edge of one of the overlooks stand this impressive memorial to those who have served in the military.

There are hundreds of rows of graves marked with tombstones. Some are modest while others are very ornate and quite large.  It feels like you are wakling through a miniature city.

There are many flowers placed on the  monuments, but the are also thousands of trees, many of which themselves are covered with beautiful blossoms.

Elder Larry Dille and Sister Sandra Dille,  medical advisers for the Brazil MTC.

We are sure that many of these elaborate monuments were quite costly to purchase and set up.  We have wondered where the poor and humble people are laid to rest.

An obvious representation of a familiar scripture.

 Most of the names we saw were either of Portuguese or Italian origin. Of course the were names other nationalities represented, but I was surprised by the number of Italians names.

Sometimes Jerry shows a mild flair towards the dramatic. She still is as pretty as ever.

I liked the pose and expression of this old priest.

We spent several hours wandering up and down little streets like this one, by we only covered a vert small part of this huge cemetery.

This last photo is of the inside portion of the wall that encircles the cemetery. It is lined with crypts the are numbered.  The columns are 5 deep and there are thousands ( we did not walk all the way  around the inside of the perimeter) of these stacked tombs.
It is an impressive place to visit. It is also a very graphic reminder of the size of the work that the living must do for those who have ended their mortal probation without having received the ordinances of the Gospel.

4 comments:

David and Kris Taylor said...

Cemeteries are a favorite (Pere Lachaise in Paris for example). I love your reports.

D.

Scott Christopherson said...

Cool photos Uncle Vernon. Thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for the good example.

LaSchelle said...

Those are beautiful white flowers! Do you know their name? Our burial traditions are different than the rest of the world... My brother Scott said that they do the same thing in the Philippines. I like the beautiful statue of the Savior.

nano*ink said...

We went to a little cemetery out past the Campinas temple one day and we also went to Americana and saw many things there. You do such a great job documenting things. I am learning lots o stuff. Cheers.