The neo-classical gates of La Recoleta Cemetery, framed with tall Doric columns, were designed by Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo in 1881. It was restored in 2010.
La Recoleta Cemetery, set in 5.5 hectares or the equivalent of about four city blocks, has more than 350,000 people buried in an estimated 4,7000 vaults--all above ground, and many of which have been declared National historical Monuments. Many of the elaborate marble mausoleums are decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic The cemetery was inaugurated under the name Cementerio del Norte (Northern Cemetery) on November 17, 1822, around Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the church and convent built in 1732 and abandoned in 1822 by the monks of the Order of the Recoletos. The original 1822 layout was designed by architect and civil engineer Próspero Catelin, and an 1881 remodeleing was handled by Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo.
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