Until recently, the Sixth Pantheon of Chacarita was an icon of Argentine modern architecture that went unnoticed. Located in the heart of the city of Buenos Aires, this pantheon represents one of the first and one of the largest experiments in modern funerary architecture of such magnitude in the world.
The project arises in a post-war context, marked by Juan Domingo Perón's rise to the presidency and a notable demographic growth in Buenos Aires. Between 1920 and 1960, the population of Buenos Aires tripled, going from one million to three million. The saturation of cemeteries became a necessity that public authorities had to address.
In that context, the General Directorate of Architecture and Urbanism of the city commissioned Itala Fulvia Villa, its coordinator, and her team consisting of Leila Cornell, Raquel S. de Días, Gunter Ernest, Carlos A. Gabutti, Ludovico Koppman, and then-young Clorindo Testa, with the design of a new public pantheon in the Chacarita Cemetery.
Inspired by the principles of the CIAM (International Congress of Modern Architecture, 1928-1957) conceived by Le Corbusier, and on the other hand, by the vision of Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, Juan Kurchan, and Antonio Bonet, who were part of the EPBA (Studies of the Plan of Buenos Aires, created in 1947), the architect Itala Fulvia Villa captured urbanist ideals aligned with the modern movement and proposed reinventing the Modern Cemetery. Her approach goes beyond the architectural dimension to represent a broader social and cultural vision: the conception of death, shared beliefs and ideals, and the pursuit of an egalitarian dimension in society.
The Chacarita Cemetery stands as a prominent urban entity in the Argentine capital. With its 95 hectares, it is one of the largest cemeteries in the world. It functions as a city within the city, offering a reflection of the historical and socio-economic strata of Buenos Aires. This necropolis displays an impressive architectural eclecticism, blending vaults, mausoleums, pantheons, graves, and galleries of niches.
The chosen location for the construction of the Sixth Pantheon is particularly symbolic, as it is situated in the center of the layout designed by the cemetery's architect, Juan A. Buschiazzo, at the end of the 19th century. It is aligned with the main entrance and the crematorium.
The project for the new pantheon would involve the construction of nine galleries of niches (galleries 15 to 23) on a square plot of 300 meters in length. This land was previously occupied by earth burials that would be progressively relocated.
Given its monumental scale, the construction of the Sixth Pantheon unfolds in three phases, spanning from 1949 to 1966. The project for the first phase (1949-1953), covering galleries 15, 17, and 21, initially had only one underground level. Starting from the second phase (1955-1958), it was decided to densify the original design by adding a second underground level to create galleries 18, 19, and 20. The project concludes with the construction of galleries 16, 22, and 23, corresponding to the last phase (1958-1966).
The Sixth Pantheon proposes an underground typology of niches grouped in vertical rows, aiming for efficient use of space and the liberation of surface area. Breaking away from traditional funerary forms of antiquity and reinterpreting Roman catacombs in a modern way, the underground organization allows for natural ventilation (complemented by a mechanical system) of the funerary structures through courtyards. This design also gives rise to the creation of a garden functioning as a public park at the ground level.
The upper level of the Sixth Pantheon presents itself as a vast lawn of 90,000 square meters, crossed by pedestrian pathways and punctuated by around twenty rectangular courtyards of various sizes. At the corners of the plot, along its lateral sides, and in its center, there are nine concrete roofs/templets. These imposing and sculptural elements serve as different entrances to the underground galleries and protect the vertical circulations from the elements. Additionally, other formal elements animate this park, such as concrete walls with geometric shapes that play with the visitor's perception. The gaze now oscillates between perspectives of the entire esplanade and a more restricted field of vision. The alignments of the air extraction vents add touches of color, while the tree canopies planted in the courtyards surprise the view and allow the perception of the underground organization of the necropolis.
The article published in the magazine 'Nuestra arquitectura' in June 1961 specifies that the landscape project by Ítala Fulvia Villa was "designed in connection with the architecture in such a way that both complement each other." In the upper garden and the courtyards, a plant palette had been planned where "combinations of plants and flowers were studied considering the color of the leaves, their size, texture, and brightness, as well as the flowering period." Unfortunately, these details, along with the water mirrors and fountains intended for the courtyards, were never implemented due to economic reasons, leaving the project of the Sixth Pantheon partially incomplete to this day.
The underground galleries of the Sixth Pantheon extend perpendicularly to courtyards with a height that can reach up to 12 meters. These galleries house three types of funerary niches: the majority are niches for coffins, there are also niches intended for ossuaries, and smaller niches reserved for ash urns.
In the second phase, a dual ventilation system was designed, currently out of service, to ensure the elimination of odors from the decomposition of corpses. On one hand, the air escaping from the back of the crematories was treated with nitrogen before being released to the surface through ventilation grilles. On the other hand, circulation spaces had an air supply system to enhance natural ventilation.
Ítala Fulvia Villa pays particular attention to the transitions between the surface and the subterranean levels of the necropolis. Vertical circulations, such as access cores (elevators for coffins, elevators for visitors, oversized stairs that resemble escalators), demonstrate both a desire to place her project in modernity and a symbolic intention. As one descends, a mythological experience is revealed that evokes the descent into the realm of the dead: a labyrinth between galleries naturally illuminated, as light enters the underworld filtered through various screens.
With this project, Ítala Fulvia Villa not only proposes a solution that functionally addresses the demand for space in a necropolis, replacing traditional burials with the multiplication of niches but also invents a new funerary language. She invokes the plasticity of concrete and its abstract imagery to provide the Sixth Pantheon with the monumentality and sacred condition necessary for a place of contemplation. Similar to the stained glass windows of Gothic cathedrals, the delicacy of textures and ornamental motifs in the concrete enhances the expressive power of the necropolis's imposing structures, creating a unique spatial experience.
Photographs: Léa Namer & Jeffry Paredes for drone views
Bibliographic References:
- Nuestra Architectura n°379, junio 1961
- chacaritamoderna.com, research by Léa Namer
- Léa Namer, Chacarita Moderna, la necrópolis brutalista de Buenos Aires, Building Books, with photographs by Federico Cairoli and a text by Ana Maria Leon. Publication supported by the Graham Foundation. Publication in March 2024.
- Declaration of the Sixth Pantheon of Chacarita as cultural heritage of the city of Buenos Aires - Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, 27 février 2023, online: saij.gob.ar.
