In the mid-1800s, residents of Santos with limited means were buried in a plot of land behind the Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Valongo. Wealthier families, who made generous contributions to the Church, held their burials inside other churches. This reality changed on November 30, 1854, with the inauguration of the first municipal cemetery in Santos — Paquetá Cemetery — which became the city’s main burial ground.
Tombs of Historical Figures
The cemetery is the final resting place of nationally significant figures such as former governor Mário Covas and his grandson Bruno Covas (former mayor of São Paulo), former mayors of Santos Luiz La Scala Júnior and Antônio Feliciano, painter Benedicto Calixto, poets Vicente de Carvalho and Martins Fontes, professor and lawyer Cleóbulo Amazonas Duarte, writer Júlio Ribeiro, TV host Edson “Bolinha” Cury, among others who gained recognition beyond the city’s limits.
One of the most striking tombs is that of lawyer João Galeão Carvalhal. The grave features a life-size sculpture of a woman leaning over in sorrow for the abolitionist politician’s passing. Above it, a bust is flanked by two angels.
