Campo Santo Cemetery Explained

Cemetery of Campo Santo
Cemitério do Campo Santo
Map Type:Brazil
Established:1836
Closed:-->
Location:Salvador, Bahia
Country:Brazil
Coordinates:-12.9979°N -38.5142°W
Owner:Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Bahia
Graves:more than 40,000

The Cemetery of Campo Santo (Portuguese: Cemitério do Campo Santo) is a cemetery in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located in the Federação neighborhood of Salvador and is administered by the Santa Casa de Misericórdia da Bahia (Holy House of Mercy of Bahia), a branch of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia. Campo Santo is the oldest public cemetery in Salvador and one of the oldest in Brazil; it is also the largest in the Northeast region of the country. It covers 62000m2, has more than 40,000 burials, and continues to expand.

Campo Santo was the first municipal cemetery in Salvador and opened in 1836. It was created to meet the health concerns caused by burials in churches and convents, but the establishment of municipal cemeteries were unpopular across Brazil. A movement of adherents of religious brotherhoods and their sympathizers in Bahia known as "Cemiterada" invaded and almost totally destroyed the cemetery during its construction. The "Cemiterada" destroyed the entire front wall and part of the chapel. The Santa Casa acquired Campo Santo in 1840, and the following year began its reconstruction of the cemetery. The Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Bahia maintains ownership of the cemetery. The cemetery continues to expand; a new area was added in 2017.

Chapel

Construction of the current chapel was only completed in 1870 due to the lack of resources of the Santa Casa. It was designed by the architect Carlos Croezy and built in the Gothic revival style. Croezy was also the architect for the Hospital Santa Izabel in Salvador. The chapel was inaugurated on June 6, 1874, and is the highlight of the architecture of Campo Santo.

Mausoleum of the Family of the Barão de Cajaíbas and the "Image of Faith" statue

Campo Santo has a large collection of funerary art and objects from the 19th and 20th century. Most notable is the Mausoleum of the Family of the Barão de Cajaíbas, which includes the "Image of Faith" statue. The mausoleum is of Carrara marble. It consists of a crypt, pedestal, and life-size statue of Faith. The statue was executed by the German Classicist sculptor Johann Halbig (1814-1882). The mausoleum and statue were listed as a Brazilian federally protected historic structure by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1966.

Subsequent cemeteries in Salvador

Numerous cemeteries were built in Salvador and the islands within its borders after Campo Santos.

Noted burials