Monumental Cemetery of Rimini
44°4′16.96″N 12°32′54.48″E / 44.0713778°N 12.5484667°E / 44.0713778; 12.5484667
The Monumental Cemetery of Rimini (Italian: Cimitero monumentale di Rimini), also known as the Civic Cemetery of Rimini (Cimitero civico di Rimini), is the main cemetery in the city of Rimini, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy.
Consecrated in 1813,[1][2] the Monumental Cemetery of Rimini is the final resting place of several prominent Riminese figures, most notably filmmaker Federico Fellini.[2]
History
On 12 June 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte promulgated the Edict of Saint-Cloud [fr] (French: Décret Impérial sur les Sépultures), which decreed that cemeteries should be placed outside city walls,[1][3] in sunny and airy places, with similar tombs in an egalitarian fashion.[1] The edict was motivated by public hygiene and a concern for egalitarianism in death.[3] On 5 September 1806, the Edict on Medical Police (Italian: Editto della Polizia Medica) extended the Edict of Saint-Cloud's provisions to Napoleonic Italy,[1][3] evoking a public debate which notably led to the publication of Ugo Foscolo's poem Dei Sepolcri (1807).[1] Rimini had long been accustomed to burials in churches or their churchyards, with sixteen city churches having a cemetery of some kind. The largest cemetery surrounded the Tempio Malatestiano, and there was a Jewish cemetery outside Porta Montanara.[3]
Rimini's municipal government considered siting the new cemetery at the suppressed Convent of St Mary of Graces [it] on the Covignano hill,[3] but the proposal was unpopular.[1][2] Another proposed location was in the Colonnella area. By March 1808, it had been decided to site the cemetery in the Celle area.[3] The locality had been used for burials for centuries: its name derived from an oratory (cella) that had been tasked since the 12th century with the burial of executed prisoners, who would be displayed for maximum exposure near the branching of the ancient Roman roads Via Aemilia and Via Popilia.[1] The municipal government purchased five plots of agrarian land, forming a square area of marshland. The area was dried, surrounded by a wall, and above the entrance arch was inscribed: "Ouch! Miserable theatre! Ouch! Human splendour!" (Ahi! misero teatro! ahi! fasto umano!).[1][2]
The cemetery was consecrated on 28 May 1813 by Gualfardo Ridolfi, Bishop of Rimini.[1][2] The first burial was Giuseppe Receputi, a 25-day-old baby, on 3 June 1813.[3]
The cemetery's crematorium was inaugurated on 19 April 2016, and began operation on 21 July 2016 alongside a Sala del Commiato.[4] In January 2019, the cemetery had nearly 1,500 burial places available, the most for any cemetery in Rimini, followed by Santa Maria in Cerreto with 226 places.[5]
Layout
The cemetery contains tree-lined avenues and several noble chapels.[2] Its paths are paved in bush-hammered cubes of smooth porphyry. The square immediately inside the cemetery walls features two triangles of smooth porphyry divided by a diagonal.[6]
To the south, the cemetery is bounded by the Bologna–Ancona railway, leading Fellini to describe it as one of the "least gloomy places in the city, due to the joyful presence of the train that passes nearby".[6]
Notable funerary monuments
La grande prua
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Federico.jpg/220px-Federico.jpg)
Under commission from Rimini's municipal government,[7] Arnaldo Pomodoro sculpted Fellini's funerary monument by the cemetery's entrance.[2][8] Known as La grande prua (The Great Bow),[8][9] the monument is an inverted bronze double-triangle, affixed by a narrow point to the ground.[10] It takes the form of a ship's bow above a water basin,[9][11] to which water is channelled from the monument itself, with the water system operated from an underground technical room. In the words of Matteo Sintini, an architect, the structure yields a dramatic "impulse of verticality".[6] The monument is inspired by the nautical themes in Fellini's films Amarcord (1973), set in Rimini, and And the Ship Sails On (1983),[9][7] and described by Pomodoro as "cut[ting] an ideal path through the land, the water, the air: for me, it represents the greatness and very glory of Fellini's work".[7] Fellini is buried with his wife, actress Giulietta Masina, and their son Pierfederico, who died a few days after birth.[6][12]
In November 2019, the water basin was damaged after an 80-year-old man from Riccione crashed his car into the monument.[11] The monument was restored in 2023 by the Pomodoro Foundation,[8] with the removal of oxidised parts and the restoration of patina.[13] In January 2020,[7] the only known copy of the monument was installed in Piazzetta Lorenzetti, in the skiing resort of Madonna di Campiglio.[7][14]
Other funerary monuments
The funerary moment of René Gruau consists of a mosaic of a stylised woman's face on white marble floor circle, with a bronze stele emerging vertically from the marble,[2][15] containing Gruau's signature and surmounted by an asterisk. The monument was designed by architect Pier Luigi Foschi and artist Vittorio d'Augusta,[15] and resides by the cemetery's entrance, in symmetry with La grande prua.[15][16] Gruau's ashes and those of his son were inaugurated behind the monument on 31 March 2009,[15][17] having previously been buried at a different location in the cemetery.[17][18]
Unveiled in September 2015,[19] the funerary monument of Riminese photographer Marco Pesaresi was designed by Jader Bonfiglioli,[2][19] and consists of a sarcophagus of rough natural travertine slabs, on which sits a steel cross with a Plexiglass sheet on the left arm as a symbol of the Holy Shroud.[2] Pesaresi is not buried at the cemetery:[20] his ashes are scattered in the Adriatic Sea.[21][20]
Renzo Pasolini's motorbike helmet and some testimonies of his victories are sited at his tomb.[2] On the tomb of Catholic priest Giuseppe Maioli is a marble sculpture by Paola Ceccarelli of a man with outstretched arms, inspired by a drawing from Maioli on the day of his ordination.[22] In September 2022, a stele dedicated to actress Clara Calamai was unveiled behind La grande prua.[23][24]
Notable burials
- Amintore Galli (1845–1919),[25] music publisher, musicologist, and composer[26]
- Piero Guardigli Bagli (1898–1946), painter and sculptor[27]
- Marina Polazzi (1892–1965), opera soprano[28]
- Renzo Pasolini (1938–73),[2] Grand Prix motorcycle racer[29]
- Federico Fellini (1920–93),[2] filmmaker[30]
- Giulietta Masina (1921–94),[2] Actor and wife of Fellini[6]
- Margherita Zoebeli [it] (1912–96),[2] educator and pedagogist[31]
- Clara Calamai (1915–98), actress[23]
- René Gruau (1909–2004),[2] fashion illustrator[15]
- Oreste Benzi (1926–2007),[2][32] Catholic priest and founder of the Pope John XXIII Community [it][33]
- Amedeo Montemaggi [it] (1923–2011),[2] historian of the Gothic Line[34][35]
- Giuseppe Maioli (1947–2016),[22] Catholic priest associated with Communion and Liberation[36]
- Sergio Zavoli (1923–2020),[37][38] documentary and sports journalist and senator[39]
See also
- Coriano Ridge War Cemetery – a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in nearby Coriano, numbering 1,939 burials from the Second World War[40][41]
- List of cemeteries in italy
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "28 maggio 1813 – Apre il Cimitero di Rimini" [28 May 1813 – The Rimini Cemetery opens]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 27 May 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Cimitero Monumentale e Civico di Rimini: dove la Commemorazione dei defunti svela un museo a cielo aperto" [Monumental and Civic Cemetery of Rimini: where the Commemoration of the dead reveals an open-air museum]. Alta Rimini (in Italian). 1 November 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Delucca, Oreste (24 October 2012). "I 200 anni del nostro camposanto" [The 200 years of our cemetery]. Rimini Sparita (in Italian). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ Santini, Simone (23 July 2016). "Tempio crematorio Rimini – Luci e ombre" [Crematory temple Rimini: Lights and shadows]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ Tonelli, Giovanni (3 January 2019). "Cimiteri: è emergenza" [Cemeteries: It's an emergency]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Sintini, Matteo. "Tomba di Federico Fellini" [Federico Fellini's tomb]. Patrimonio Culturale dell'Emilia Romagna (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e dal Bosco, Giorgio (23 July 2020). ""La grande prua" brilla e fa sognare nella piazzetta" [The "Great Bow" shines and makes you dream in the little square]. Trentino (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Fiori sotto la 'Prua' di Pomodoro, Rimini ricorda Fellini" [Flowers under Pomodoro's 'Bow': Rimini recalls Fellini]. Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (in Italian). 31 October 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Arnaldo Pomodoro's La Grande Prua monument to Fellini". Visit Rimini. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Hunter, Sam (1 April 2008). "Arnaldo Pomodoro: Within/Without". Sculpture. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b Gradara, Mario (17 November 2019). "Incidente Rimini, finisce con l'auto nella tomba di Fellini" [Rimini accident: Ends up with the car in Fellini's tomb]. Il Resto del Carlino. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Gatti, Francesco. "Fellini 20 anni dopo, cerimonia a Rimini sulle note di una cornamusa" [Fellini 20 years later: Ceremony in Rimini to the notes of a bagpipe]. RAI (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Federico Fellini, scomparve 30 anni fa" [Federico Fellini passed away 30 years ago]. La Piazza (in Italian). 31 October 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ dal Bosco, Giorgio (5 August 2020). ""La grande prua" di Pomodoro in ricordo di Fellini" [Pomodoro's "Great Bow" in memory of Fellini]. Trentino (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Le ceneri di Renè Gruau traslate nel cimitero monumentale di Rimini" [The ashes of Renè Gruau moved to the monumental cemetery of Rimini]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 30 March 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Brullo, Davide (21 March 2017). "L'ingrato destino di Gruau a Rimini: ancora senza risposta il giallo delle 35 opere sparite nel nulla" [The ungrateful fate of Gruau in Rimini: The mystery of the 35 works that disappeared into thin air is still unanswered]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Rimini omaggia René Gruau, il grande riminese nel centenario della nascita" [Rimini pays homage to René Gruau, the great Riminese, on the centenary of his birth]. Comune di Rimini (in Italian). 25 March 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Il grande René Gruau torna per sempre nella sua Rimini" [The great René Gruau returns to his Rimini forever]. Comune di Rimini (in Italian). 27 April 2004. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Inaugurato al cimitero civico il monumento per Marco Pesaresi" [The monument for Marco Pesaresi was inaugurated at the civic cemetery]. newsrimini.it (in Italian). 17 September 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b Brullo, Davide (7 April 2017). "Uno spazio nel Museo della Città per il grande fotografo riminese Marco Pesaresi" [A space in the City Museum for the great Rimini photographer Marco Pesaresi]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Giornalaio, 27 marzo 2015" [Newsagents, 27 March 2015]. Buongiorno Rimini (in Italian). 27 March 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ a b Drudi, Serafino (3 November 2017). "Lambiasi in preghiera sulle tombe di don Benzi e don Maioli" [Lambiasi in prayer on the tombs of Don Benzi and Don Maioli]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Rimini celebra Clara Calamai. Dal 7 settembre una rassegna, una mostra e una cerimonia dedicata alla grande attrice italiana" [Rimini celebrates Clara Calamai: From 7 September, a review, an exhibition and a ceremony dedicated to the great Italian actress]. Comune di Rimini (in Italian). 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Una stele sulla tomba della Calamai" [A stele on Calamai's tomb]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 31 August 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Bronzetti, Genny (21 July 2009). "Una casa per Galli. Ma non è il teatro" [A home for Galli, but it's not the theatre]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Di Cesare, Maria Carmela (1998). "Galli, Amintore". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani [Biographical Dictionary of Italians] (in Italian). Vol. 51. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Morolli, Enrico (5 May 2012). "Terra! Terra! Urlava l'artista" [Earth! Earth! The artist shouted]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Morolli, Enrico (18 March 2013). "Il giro del mondo in 80 note" [Around the world in 80 notes]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Radogna, Fiorenzo (20 May 2020). "Renzo Pasolini: alcool donne e sigarette: 47 anni fa moriva in pista il Best delle moto" [Renzo Pasolini, cigarettes, alcohol, women, and dance halls: This is how the Best of motorcyclists died on the track in Monza 47 years ago]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Kezich, Tullio (2003). "Fellini, Federico". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Fondazione Margherita Zoebeli" [Margherita Zoebeli Foundation]. CEIS Rimini (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Torri, Tommaso (31 October 2013). ""Federico sarebbe contento di vedere queste facce della sua Rimini"" ["Federico would be happy to see these faces of his Rimini"]. RiminiToday (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Appuntamenti in tutta Italia per l'anniversario della morte di Don Oreste Benzi" [Appointments throughout Italy for the anniversary of the death of Don Oreste Benzi]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 27 October 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "10 luglio 2011 – Muore improvvisamente a Rimini Amedeo Montemaggi, lo storico della Linea Gotica" [10 July 2011 – Amedeo Montemaggi, historian of the Gothic Line, suddenly dies in Rimini]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 19 July 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Rimini Rediscovered. Images from the 1950s in unpublished shots by Amedeo Montemaggi". Rimini Turismo. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Mulazzani, Simona (14 April 2016). "Deceduto don Giuseppe Maioli, parroco della Riconciliazione" [Don Giuseppe Maioli, parish priest of the Reconciliation, has passed away]. newsrimini.it (in Italian). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Sergio Zavoli: famiglia, amici e amministrazione comunale lo ricordano a un mese dalla scomparsa" [Sergio Zavoli: Family, friends, and the municipal government remember him a month after his death]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "L'ultimo desiderio di Zavoli: "Tornare a Rimini e riposare accanto a Federico". Le foto storiche" [Zavoli's last wish: "To return to Rimini and rest next to Federico". Historical photos.]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 5 August 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "La biografia di Sergio Zavoli" [The biography of Sergio Zavoli]. Archive of the President of the Republic (in Italian). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Cimitero di guerra inglese" [English War Cemetery]. Terre di Coriano (in Italian). Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Coriano Ridge War Cemetery". Commonwealth War Graves. Retrieved 8 March 2024.