To complement and add to our last article about the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, this article will discuss some of the extraordinary women who are buried there. As there are so many interesting people buried in the cemetery, it would be almost impossible to discuss them all in any detail. However, there is a particularly high number of trailblazing female artists, writers and revolutionaries in the "non-Catholic cemetery" of Rome who deserve mentioning. The cemetery, located behind the Pyramid of Cestius, is most famous for containing the graves of the great Romantic poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley but if you want to learn more about the wonderful women laid to rest there find a holiday rental in Rome and pay a visit.
Open daily, it is easily visited and eerily beautiful in addition to being rich in history.
One of the most interesting female creators in the cemetery is Irene Galitzine, who only passed away in 2006. Galitzine, daughter of a Russian prince and Georgian mother, came to Italy after fleeing with her family in the wake of the October Revolution. A fashion designer, she was made famous by her creation of ‘Palazzo pyjamas’, or palazzo pants, in the 1960s. They were quickly adopted by Hollywood stars and worn by some of the most beautiful women in the world. Since then, they have even been acquired by museums.
One of the most interesting female creators in the cemetery is Irene Galitzine, who only passed away in 2006. Galitzine, daughter of a Russian prince and Georgian mother, came to Italy after fleeing with her family in the wake of the October Revolution. A fashion designer, she was made famous by her creation of ‘Palazzo pyjamas’, or palazzo pants, in the 1960s. They were quickly adopted by Hollywood stars and worn by some of the most beautiful women in the world. Since then, they have even been acquired by museums.
Malwida von Meysenbug was a German author, feminist and revolutionary. Her political leanings lead to a separation from her family and a life of moving around Europe.
Unusually for a woman of her social status of the nineteenth century, she supported herself entirely and made a living as a teacher and translator.
She later made money from the sales of her writing including her “Memories of an Idealist.” In 1862, she moved to Italy and she died in Rome in 1903 at the age of 86.
Sarah Parker Remond was an African-American anti-slavery activist and doctor who was brought up in Salem, Massachussetts, in a family active in the slavery abolition movement.
She became a prominent figure in the movement herself. She lectured and fundraised so effectively for the movement that she was sent on a tour of Britain to speak against slavery in 1858. She never returned to America and moved to Florence in 1866, where she studied and then practised medicine for 20 years. Although she died in Florence, she was buried in Rome.
Truly an inspirational and incredibly interesting group of women, and merely a sample of those buried in the Cemetery, it is very much the place for any feminists visiting the city to get a breath of fresh air from the male-centric nature of Rome's history and to pay their respects.
Unusually for a woman of her social status of the nineteenth century, she supported herself entirely and made a living as a teacher and translator.
She later made money from the sales of her writing including her “Memories of an Idealist.” In 1862, she moved to Italy and she died in Rome in 1903 at the age of 86.
Sarah Parker Remond was an African-American anti-slavery activist and doctor who was brought up in Salem, Massachussetts, in a family active in the slavery abolition movement.
She became a prominent figure in the movement herself. She lectured and fundraised so effectively for the movement that she was sent on a tour of Britain to speak against slavery in 1858. She never returned to America and moved to Florence in 1866, where she studied and then practised medicine for 20 years. Although she died in Florence, she was buried in Rome.
Truly an inspirational and incredibly interesting group of women, and merely a sample of those buried in the Cemetery, it is very much the place for any feminists visiting the city to get a breath of fresh air from the male-centric nature of Rome's history and to pay their respects.