Notable Mausoleums & Cemeteries

Forest Lawn Cemetery Mausoleums

Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York is the final resting place for over 152,000 souls. This historic cemetery was founded in 1849 by Charles Clarke, and covers more than 269 acres. Forest Lawn Cemetery is known for its monuments, mausoleums, and sculptures, as this 19th century style garden cemetery serves as a combination of outdoor museum, arboretum, park, and cemetery.

Woodlawn Cemetery Mausoleums in the Bronx, NY

Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx, is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City. This 400-acre cemetery is the final resting place for more than 310,000 people. Established in 1863, Woodlawn Cemetery is designated a National Historic Landmark. It is an important cemetery, historically speaking, because it is a prime example of the transition from rural garden cemetery at the time of its establishment, to the more modern and orderly 20th-century cemetery style.

The United States’ Most Iconic Mausoleum

The most famous mausoleum in the world is the Taj Mahal, but the most visited mausoleum in the United States is Grant’s Tomb. Built almost twelve years after his death, Grant’s tomb is an iconic New York City landmark commemorating the life and passing of our 18th President and Civil War General, Ulysses S. Grant.

Rebuilding of Timbuktu’s World Heritage Mausoleums Underway

Malian masons started reconstructing the mausoleums in Timbuktu, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. A group of 14 mausoleums were destroyed by a group of armed rebels before a French intervention in the area.

The Djingareyber Mosque, the largest mosque at the World Heritage site, received a new façade and will be under maintenance for a month. Malian architects and technicians are planning and executing tasks related to reconstructing the mausoleums to return them to their former state and repairing damage done by the rebels.

Timbuktu’s mausoleums hold many ancient artifacts, including a collection of monuments and manuscripts. According to UNESCO, around 4,200 manuscripts, some of which date back to the pre-Islamic era, were destroyed when extremist militants seized control of the city.

The Panthéon: Two Women Given Burial In French Hero Mausoleum

Marie Curie is about to get some new neighbors. President François Hollande of France announced he selected two men and two women to be interred in the Panthéon, France’s historic mausoleum and tourist attraction located in Paris’ Latin Quarter.

Of the 73 heroes who have been honored in the Panthéon, only two are women—Marie Curie, the only woman to gain entrance on her own merit, and Sophie Bertholot, who was buried with her husband Marcellin Bertholot. Other interred heroes include Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile Zola, and Louis Braille.

The two women to be buried are French resistance fighters Germaine Tillion and Genèvieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz. Both fought against the German occupation of France during World World II. The two men selected by Hollande were resistance fighters as well.

The Great Mausoleum

If you intend to build a mausoleum crypt for yourself or your family, you may find inspiration in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. This spectacular monument houses the remains of some of the world’s most beloved celebrities, including Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard. The ornate statuary, stained-glass windows, and stunning artwork surrounding the crypts only add to the beauty of the Great Mausoleum and enhance the significance of its meaning, which is to honor the dead laid to rest within its walls.