Beneath the watchful gaze of Sant’Anna, Trieste’s Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna whispers tales of lives lived and legacies carved in stone. The Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna isn’t just a cemetery. It’s a living museum, a testament to Trieste’s rich and diverse past. Opened on August 1st, 1825, the cemetery stands on land once owned by the Burlo family. Their own chapel dedicated to Sant’Anna graced this very spot, foreshadowing the sacred ground it would become. Originally, a modest wall just under six feet tall enclosed the nearly 70,000 square meters. A Vitruvian-style entrance, adorned with a pediment and four Doric columns, marked the entryway. Today, this serves as the secondary entrance. The main entrance of the Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna now boasts three striking sculptures by Marcello Mascherini. Two angels stand sentinel, flanking a depiction of the Resurrection of Lazarus.
The Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna is the work of neoclassical architect Matteo Pertsch, who also shaped much of Trieste’s architectural landscape. Pertsch’s initial design divided the necropolis into four quadrants, separated by two grand avenues and centered around the neoclassical Sant’Anna chapel. Trieste flourished in the late 19th century. Its population exploded from 30,000 in 1800 to 235,000 by 1914. This growth necessitated the doubling of the cemetery’s size. The expansion also brought improvements like the meticulously landscaped gardens, first cultivated in 1918. A new colonnaded portico was added along the back wall, and regulations were put in place to ensure stylistic uniformity and decorum among the funerary monuments.
The Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna became the final resting place for many notable figures. Literary giants like Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba are buried here. So too is the renowned theatre director Giorgio Strehler. The cemetery houses a striking collection of funerary art. The tomb of Radivo features a sculpture by Danish artist Rudolph Tegner. It depicts a woman entering a symbolic breach between the worlds of the living and the dead. The Cossovich tomb, by Croatian sculptor Ivan Rendić, presents a woman in a state of repose. It leaves the viewer questioning whether she is merely sleeping or has met a more tragic end. In the Campo XVII, the Sospisio-Bourbon del Monte tomb displays the work of Leonardo Bistolfi, known as the “Poet of Death.” His sculptures also grace the Monumental Cemeteries of Milan and Turin. Within the Galleria Monumentale Ottocentesca, the Tonello family tomb captures the raw grief and despair of loss in the face of death. This gallery, currently under restoration, houses more artistic treasures. The Sartorio family tomb features the “Veiled Religion,” a sculpture acquired from the Cappella Regine di Forio d’Ischia. It was believed lost until its rediscovery in the Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna in 1986. Sadly, it now bears the scars of vandalism from 1995.
The Cimitero Cattolico Monumentale di Sant’Anna is more than a collection of names and dates. It is a place where art, history, and remembrance intertwine. Each tomb tells a story, each sculpture whispers a secret, and each name echoes through the quiet avenues. It’s a place where the past and present meet, where the living commune with the departed, and where the stories of Trieste continue to unfold.