Punta Arenas is a South American port city located on the Brunswick Peninsula in Chile’s Patagonia Region. Situated on the Straits of Magellan which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it has a population of approximately 125,000.
The Public Cemetery of Punta Arenas opened in 1923 on land donated by Sara Braun (1862 Latvia to 1955 Chile). A businesswoman and widow of the Portuguese shipping magnate, Jose Nogueira, she played an instrumental role in developing sheep farming in southern Chile.
The ten-acre cemetery is in the northern part of the city. It is home to a variety of memorial structures: modest graves with simple headstones; ornate crypts with stained glass windows; chapels with bronze, brass and iron statuary; monuments to fraternal societies, benevolent organizations and professional associations; and lavish marble mausoleums honoring aristocratic and pioneer families.
The following photographs attest as to why it is regarded as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
Mausoleum honouring the Italian Brotherhood.
1897 monument honouring the French Society.
Domed crypt with Cypress Trees.
Typical avenue cutting through the cemetery.
Family graves enclosed within ornate wrought-iron fencing.
Mausoleum honouring the Croatian Aid Society.
