Tolomato Cemetery
14 Cordova St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
February 24, 2022
The Tolomato Cemetary is a Catholic cemetery dating back to the 18th century. It is a beautiful area and is important to St. Augustine’s early history. Over 1,000 people from many different places in the world were buried here including Spain, Minorca, France, Cuba, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Africa, Haiti, and America. Originally, it was outside the city walls in 1565 but is currently located in Downtown St. Augustine. The cemetery is opened once a month to the public, as it is wished to be preserved.
Exterior:
This grave marking says, “Esta capilla fue erigida pos los Cubanos el año 1858 para conserva las cenizas del Padre Varela.” This translates to, “This chapel was built by Cubans the year 1858 to conserve the ashes of Father Varela.”
El Padre Varela
Los Cubanos
Fallecio el 25 de Febrero
De 1853
Father Felix Varela of Cuba was buried in the Tolomato Cemetary in 1853. Father Felix's grave is located inside a small, white chapel built by his grateful Cuban students and friends for his work for Cuban Independence. Although Father Felix Varela was born in Cuba he was raised in St. Augustine and worked in New York City for almost 30 years. In 1911, Fr Varela's bones were moved to Havana and now rest in a monument at the University of Havana.
Celia Cruz, a Cuban-American singer was dubbed "The Queen of Salsa" and was one of the most successful performers of the 20th century. Born in Santos Suarez, Havana she was introduced to the world of music from an early age. Celia Cruz exploded in popularity when she became the lead singer for the orchestra Sonora Matancera. Her grave can be found in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York, USA.
The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios can be traced back to the founding of St. Augustine in the year 1565. When Pedro Menendez de Aviles arrived in St. Augustine he proclaimed the site for Spain and Church. The shrine was completed in 1609 and is the first shrine in the United States to be dedicated to Our Blessed Mother, Mary.
"I felt like I was in a different space, here but not here. I kept thinking about people who I had lost, and I felt them around me. I could talk to them."
This excerpt from [lukao] is from when a woman had difficulties giving birth. For a moment, she described a place where she could talk to the dead and the living. This is what the Tolomato Cemetery reminded me of. The Tolomato Cemetary is a place where the dead are remembered, whether they have a gravestone or not, the dead will be remembered for all of history in St. Augustine.
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