The Protestant Cemetery, or the "non-Catholic cemetery" of Rome, is located behind the Pyramid of Cestius and contains a number of graves of artists, writers and famous figures, most famously the great Romantic poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is one of the oldest burial grounds in continuous use in Europe and is both beautiful and historic. Open daily and almost a pilgrimage site in its own right, it is visited by thousands each year, who wish to see the final resting places of their great artistic heroes. Read on to see if any of yours are among their numbers and, if so, find a holiday rental in Rome and pay a visit.
As noted, one of the most famous individuals laid to rest in the Protestant Cemetery is Keats, who lies in a quiet and very beautiful little corner in the oldest part of the Cemetery.
His tombstone is very simple by comparison to many of the surrounding graves and it is merely embellished by an epitaph which reads, “This Grave contains all that was Mortal of a YOUNG ENGLISH POET, Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart at the Malicious Power of his Enemies, Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone. Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. Feb 24th 1821.”
His tombstone is very simple by comparison to many of the surrounding graves and it is merely embellished by an epitaph which reads, “This Grave contains all that was Mortal of a YOUNG ENGLISH POET, Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart at the Malicious Power of his Enemies, Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone. Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. Feb 24th 1821.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley was travelling around Italy with his wife, the author Mary Shelley, in the latter years of his life when he drowned in a sailing accident.
After cremation on the beach, he was brought to Rome for burial. Their son is also buried in there, which is not surprising as Shelley described the site as so beautiful “it might make one in love with death, to be buried in so sweet a place”.
Other famous inhabitants include Hendrik Andersen a sculptor who was born in Norway then immigrated to the USA before settling in Rome permanently.
He designed the family tomb that he was buried inside and Villa Hélène, his home and studio in Rome, is now a museum to his work. Another artist in the cemetery is Karl Pavlovich Brullov, the first Russian painter to gain recognition in the west. More recently the American poet, Gregory Corso, was interred there. Corso, a younger member of the group of Beat Generation writers, was a peer of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs and though he was born in New York he achieved his wish to be buried near Shelley’s grave in Rome.
These are just some of the famous and talented inhabitants of the Protestant Cemetery and, in addition to the beauty of the site, make it a very interesting and underrated sight in the city. If the madness of other tourist attractions in Rome is getting to you, slip in and pay your respects.
After cremation on the beach, he was brought to Rome for burial. Their son is also buried in there, which is not surprising as Shelley described the site as so beautiful “it might make one in love with death, to be buried in so sweet a place”.
Other famous inhabitants include Hendrik Andersen a sculptor who was born in Norway then immigrated to the USA before settling in Rome permanently.
He designed the family tomb that he was buried inside and Villa Hélène, his home and studio in Rome, is now a museum to his work. Another artist in the cemetery is Karl Pavlovich Brullov, the first Russian painter to gain recognition in the west. More recently the American poet, Gregory Corso, was interred there. Corso, a younger member of the group of Beat Generation writers, was a peer of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs and though he was born in New York he achieved his wish to be buried near Shelley’s grave in Rome.
These are just some of the famous and talented inhabitants of the Protestant Cemetery and, in addition to the beauty of the site, make it a very interesting and underrated sight in the city. If the madness of other tourist attractions in Rome is getting to you, slip in and pay your respects.
Photo credits
picture 1: Giovanni Dall'Orto;
picture 3: Carptrash / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Giovanni Dall'Orto;
picture 3: Carptrash / CC BY-SA 3.0