Jewish monumental cemetery, Florence

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The Jewish monumental cemetery in Florence (Cimitero monumentale ebraico) is a monumental cemetery on the current Ariosto avenue, just outside the ancient Renaissance walls, as it was not allowed to bury Jews in the city. It is open once a month, only on last Sundays, with two guided tours in the morning. [1] [2]

Florence Capital and most populous city of the Italian region of Tuscany

Florence is a city in central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 383,084 inhabitants in 2013, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.

Contents

History

The graveyard was built in 1777 outside the San Frediano gate and remained in operation until 1870, when a new one was opened in Caciolle, in the Rifredi area.

The site is of historical and artistic interest for the tombs (the oldest date back to the 18th century), surrounded by multi-storey houses, which somewhat depict the decadent and romantic charm. The part on the left of the entrance was expropriated by the Commune to erect a dispensary, today asylum: there were tombs of the 18th century, which on that occasion were dismantled and recompiled to the best and best in the area near the entrance, with some inscriptions mounted. No grave has the image of the deceased, according to Jewish custom.

Monumental tombs

The Pyramid Vecchio cimitero ebraico di firenze, piramide 03.JPG
The Pyramid

Jewish culture, in accordance with rigid biblical teaching, does not appreciate the idea of glamor and wealth, so monumental tombs are usually very rare. There are only three in this cemetery, lined up along the central avenue with cypresses and dating back to the period after the unification of Italy, when the Kingdom was excommunicated by Pope Pius IX and religious minorities were able to enjoy a tolerant climate.

Jewish culture Culture of Jews and Judaism

Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people from the formation of the Jewish nation in ancient Israel through life in the diaspora and the modern state of Israel. Judaism guides its adherents in both practice and belief, so that it has been called not only a religion, but an orthopraxy. Not all individuals or all cultural phenomena can be classified as either "secular" or "religious", a distinction native to Enlightenment thinking.

Funerary art Art associated with a repository for the remains of the dead

Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs, tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and communal memorials to the dead, such as war memorials, which may or may not contain remains, and a range of prehistoric megalithic constructs. Funerary art may serve many cultural functions. It can play a role in burial rites, serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife, and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead, whether as part of kinship-centred practices of ancestor veneration or as a publicly directed dynastic display. It can also function as a reminder of the mortality of humankind, as an expression of cultural values and roles, and help to propitiate the spirits of the dead, maintaining their benevolence and preventing their unwelcome intrusion into the lives of the living.

Italian unification political and social movement that consolidated different Italian states into a single state

Italian unification, also known as the Risorgimento, was the political and social movement that consolidated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of the Kingdom of Italy in the 19th century. The process began in 1815 with the Congress of Vienna and was completed in 1871 when Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

The first of the Levi family has a pyramidal shape that recalls the Egyptian tombs with references to the symbolic tradition of French Enlightenment: the triangle seen as a perfect figure that pervades perfection. The pyramid is placed on a tall base, made of squared blocks of stone and illuminated inside by a small eye on the south side, as well as from the entrance door. The latter is crowned by a triangular pediment and the family coat of arms. In the cell are still visible twisted crowns of flowers and leaves, probably left there by the original funeral ritual.

Ancient Egyptian funerary practices

The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of funerary practices that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals and protocols included mummifying the body, casting magic spells, and burial with specific grave goods thought to be needed in the Egyptian afterlife.

Age of Enlightenment European cultural movement of the 18th century

The Age of Enlightenment was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century, the "Century of Philosophy".

The second chapel, next to the pyramid, is smaller and even inspired by the neo-gestic style. It belonged to the Servadio family and was executed around 1875. It has beam columns and inside the sculpted symbol of winged sun; on the underlying sarcophagus a crown is carved. The coat of arms is on the stand. Today the exterior of the chapel is largely hidden by vegetation.

Sarcophagus Box-like funeral receptacle

A sarcophagus is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σάρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγεῖν phagein meaning "to eat"; hence sarcophagus means "flesh-eating", from the phrase lithos sarkophagos, "flesh-eating stone". The word also came to refer to a particular kind of limestone that was thought to rapidly facilitate the decomposition of the flesh of corpses contained within it due to the chemical properties of the limestone itself.

The third chapel of the Franchetti family was probably designed by architect Marco Treves also author of the synagogue in Florence and the resettlement of the small building at the entrance. It is a kiosk covered with a barrel vault. The walls are open and marked by pillars, with a cornice running outside and an arched pediment, all finely decorated.

Kiosk small booths offering goods and services

Historically, a kiosk was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist in and around the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, and they can be seen in Balkan countries.

Other tombs

There are many types and sizes of the tombs, from those to sarcophagus to those of cippo, from simple tombstones to broken columns. The most elaborate sarcophagi are raised by leopard paws and supported by other structures, with carved scarves, crowns of garland, etc.

There are two burial tombs with columns, recalling some of the 19th-century rhetorical works, such as theatrical scenery. It dates back to 1846 and was carved by Aronne Sanguinetti for Chiara Rafael: it has Doric columns, fronts and acrobats.

Epitaphs are generally written in Hebrew and in Italian.

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ "Il cimitero monumentale ebraico di Firenze". FirenzeToday. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "Visite guidate al cimitero monumentale ebraico di Firenze". ilsitodiFirenze.it (in Italian). Retrieved 6 September 2017.

Coordinates: 43°46′10″N11°14′19″E / 43.76944°N 11.23861°E / 43.76944; 11.23861

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