Cemitério Nº2 da Costa

Slipping through time’s embrace, Cemitério N°2 da Costa unfolds. This isn’t just a cemetery. It’s a poignant echo of Porto’s history, a resting place etched with stories. Cemitério N°2 da Costa arose from necessity. In 1855, cholera ravaged Porto. The city’s main cemetery, Prado do Repouso, overflowed. A new sanctuary for the departed was urgently needed. Thus, Cemitério N°2 da Costa was born. Initially, Prado do Repouso remained the preferred burial ground. This changed in the 1870s. A new brick and stone chapel replaced Cemitério N°2 da Costa’s wooden one. This solidified its status as a dignified final resting place. Within Cemitério N°2 da Costa, distinct sections exist. Religious orders, displaced by the cholera outbreak, secured plots here. The orders of Trindade, Carmo, and São Francisco each have their own gated areas. These areas hold some of the cemetery’s grandest tombs and mausoleums. One notable resident is José Monteiro da Costa, FC Porto’s first president. His love for football blossomed in England. Upon returning to Porto, he revived the city’s team. He chose blue and white for the team’s colors, inspired by Porto’s iconic church tiles and the Portuguese monarchy. Another remarkable figure is Manoel de Oliveira, a prominent Portuguese filmmaker. His career spanned an incredible nine decades. He began with a silent film, “Douro, Faina Fluvial,” in 1931. This film depicted working-class life along the Douro River. Initially criticized, it later gained recognition as a Portuguese counterpart to “Berlin, A Symphony of a Great City.” Cemitério N°2 da Costa holds a silent reverence. It’s a place where history whispers from the stones.