The Campo Santo of Ghent, Belgium, is a famous Roman Catholic public burial ground in Sint-Amandsberg. The Campo Santo has been declared a historical monument by the government. This cemetery is located in the district of Dampoort.
History
On top of the hill 19 m , the bishop Philips Erard van der Noot erected in 1720 a chapel, in baroques style in honour of Saint Amandus.[1]
The Roman Catholic bourgeoisie of Ghent favoured this place for important burials: almost all great Catholic families have their graves here. Sited at the top of a hill 19 meters high, it takes its name from the Roman original. The cemetery was opened on 8 December 1847 by Fr Jozef van Damme, the local parish priest. One of the first burials was that of Countess Marie de Hemptinne.
As of 2016 this is still the burial place of famous Catholic artists, nobility and politicians from Ghent.
Not only are some of those who are buried here noteworthy, but also some of the gravestones are the works of famous sculptors or craftsmen such as Jozef Geefs, Aloïs de Beule and Geo Verbanck. The Campo is thus also well known for its funerary heritage and architecture. 131 graves are protected and listed as valuable.[5]
^CAPITEYN A., DECAVELE J. (1981). in Steen en Brons van Leven en Dood [In Stone and Bronze of Life and Death] (in Dutch). Ghent: City of Ghent. p. 147.
