Contemplate this place of rest a silent city within Busto Arsizio. This is the Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio. It is more than just a burial ground. It is a testament to history art and the lives of those who shaped this city.
The Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio stands as one of the city’s three cemeteries alongside those of Borsano and Sacconago. You will find it at the beginning of Via Favana. The street is named after a farmhouse along its path.
Let’s journey back to the late 19th century. The old cemetery near the church of San Gregorio Magno was too small. Busto Arsizio needed a new one. In 1894 the Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio opened. Ercole Seves from Lonate designed it. He modeled it after Carlo Maciachini’s cemetery in Milan. At the time it was far from the town. It stood at the crossroads of the roads to Lonate and Corbetta.
About 30 years later architect Franco Poggi expanded it. The area almost doubled in size. Luigi Ciapparella designed the “patios” area in 1971. The city grew around the cemetery. The new Santa Maria Regina neighborhood surrounded it. This made further expansion impossible.
Since 2000 there has been a special area behind the Addolorata church. It is for burying aborted fetuses collectively. Without this they would be disposed of as hospital waste.
Now let’s consider the Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio as a museum. It showcases 20th-century architecture and sculpture. The Ottolini mausoleum is a highlight. Camillo Crespi Balbi designed it for the cotton mill owners. A bronze statue of Christ by Pisani stands before it. Amedeo Fontana created the Roberto Tosi and Giovanni Xeconti pyramid now Comerio. Silvio Gambini designed the Radice shrine in 1919. He also designed the Castiglioni chapel in 1908 and the Ercole Bossi chapel in 1915.
Gian Franco Ferrario curated a photo exhibit called “History & Art in the cemeteries of Busto Arsizio”. It was displayed at Palazzo Marliani-Cicogna in 2008. In 2009 the city organized a tour called “Liberty in funerary art”. It highlighted the architectural masterpieces and monuments. These monuments showcase this architectural style.
Luigi Belotti wrote a book called Arte e Storia del nostro Camposanto in 1929. It is about the Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio.
Today the Cimitero Monumentale di Busto Arsizio remains a place of reflection. It is a place of art and history. It reminds us of the lives and stories that have shaped Busto Arsizio. Take a moment to appreciate the artistry and the memories held within these walls. It is a unique and beautiful place.