ASCE Conference 2021: Program

Find out who are the experts that will be lecturing at the ASCE conference 2021 and what are they going to talk about.

About the ASCE Conference 2021

The ASCE Conference 2021 is being organized by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust for the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe, and will take place in an online form via ZOOM on 11 and 12 November 2021. The main theme is "Cemetourism: Cemeteries with Stories to Tell".

Furthermore, this year's Conference will be an extension of the AGM 2021, and will therefore address the basic definition of significant cemeteries as well as the possible methods of categorizing cemeteries as significant. 

Conference speakers

Conference speakers will include many acknowledged experts from all over Europe who will speak on the topic of Cemetourism. Some of them are:

➤ Professor Tijana Borić (University of Niš, Serbia)
"Old Cemetery in Rajacke Pimnice – A Highlight of a Unique Travel Destination"

➤ Domenico Bruno (Arciconfrternita S. Maria del Popolo agli Incurabili, Italy)
"Development of the cemetery tourism and history of the 366 graves cemetery in Naples"

➤ Malcolm Crampton (Jigsaw Design & Publishing, UK)
"Every visitor needs a good guidebook"

➤ Tamara Ingels (Independent consultant, Belgium)
"The dynamics between the primary, secondary and tertiary functions of cemeteries"

➤ Dr Barbara Leisner (Ohlsdorf Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany)
"Museums on Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg"

➤ Renate Niklas (General Manager Friedhöfe Wien GmbH, Austria)
"Cemeteries are full of life....in Vienna"

➤ Mahmut Okcesiz (Ottoman Gravestones Expert, Turkey)
"Understanding and Promoting Adalizade Historic Cemetery"

➤ Dr Mari Plikuhn (University of Evansville, United States)
"Memento Mori: The Importance of Historic Cemeteries in Death (and) Education"

➤ Dr Julie Rugg (University of York, UK)
"Cemetery tourism vs funerary heritage tourism? Achieving a balance"

➤ Aude Thevenon (Patrimoine Aurhalpin, France)
"The "Printemps des cimetières", a national event dedicated to the promotion of funerary heritage."

➤ Dr Paul Tourle (Barker Langham, UK)
"Possible Worlds: Brookwood Cemetery and the Interpretation of Memorial Landscapes"

➤ Miquel Trepat Celis (General Manager of Cementiris in Barcelona, Spain)
"Reconciling tourism with burial activities?"

and many more!

Short summaries of the lectures will be published regularly on the ASCE Facebook page, so don't forget to follow us.

Join us at the conference

Given the extremely interesting lectures and excellent speakers, no one with an interest in historic cemeteries should miss this conference. 

You can find the registration form HERE.

The general admission for the two days Conference is 25,00 EUR.

If you have any questions, please contact us at admin@significantcemeteries.org.

ASCE Conference 2021: What makes a cemetery significant?

The latest proposals in this area, that were also discussed at the AGM 2021, will now be presented at this year's ASCE Conference.

Extension of the AGM 2021

The ASCE Conference 2021, which this year exceptionally takes place separately from the Annual General Meeting, is being organized by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust for the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe, and will take place in an online form via ZOOM on 11 and 12 November 2021. Nevertheless, we wanted to maintain the connection between the two events. Therefore, this year's Conference will be an extension of the AGM, and will address many topics which were previously discussed at the meeting. The basic definition of significant cemeteries will be at the forefront. 

What makes a cemetery significant?

This is the question that has been rising over and over again since the very founding of ASCE. Over the past 20 years, we have been trying to find and improve an effective method of categorizing cemeteries into this important group. The latest proposals in this area, that were presented at this year's AGM, will now be presented also at the ASCE Conference.

Mr. Ian Dungavell (delegated and scientific representative of ASCE and organizer of this year's ASCE Conference) will have an extremely interesting and instructive lecture in which he will answer the important questions about what makes a cemetery significant. Is this its size, history, artistic and architectural value, the important personalities buried there or something completely different? 

Let's find out together. Join the discussion and tell us what your opinion is.

How to register for the Conference?

You can find the registration form HERE.

The general admission for the two days Conference is 25,00 EUR.

ASCE members will get a special promo code via email with all the information on how to use it to get a 10,00 EUR discount upon registration. If you are an ASCE member and did not receive the promotional email by Friday, October 8, 2021, please contact us at admin@significantcemeteries.org.

St. George’s Cemetery at Hermoupolis (Syros, Greece)

Syros is a rocky island located approximately in the center of the Cyclades group of islands in the Aegean Sea.

Founding of Hermoupolis

After the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, Greeks from various parts of the country, that was under Turkish occupation, were to find refuge on this island, because of the security provided by Austria and France and the protection of the Roman Catholics ensured by a neutral Vatican.

Due to this privilege, many Greeks came here from other parts of the Ottoman Empire, where there were developed Greek communities such as Constantinople, Smyrna and Kydonies.

More specifically, after the destruction of the islands Chios and Psara and the coasts of Asia Minor (1822) many refugees settled on the Syros’ eastern coast; among them there were important merchants, who engaged in commerce with many European cities. The coastal settlement was thus slowly formed and the new town that came into being, in 1824, was named Hermoupolis.

The first cemetery of Hermoupolis

The first cemetery of Hermoupolis was located behind the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the old municipal hospital, in the center of the area inhabited by people from Psara island and was, necessarily, transferred to its current position, at the SW end of the town, in 1834. 

In 1839, when the mayor of Hermoupolis was Nicholas Prassakakis, the church of St. George was built in this place. The old cemetery is no longer preserved; Moraitin Square was created in its place. But the new cemetery was very soon located in the center of the Neapolis district, which was developing at the same time. Thus, since 1857, the actions of the cemetery’s re-transfer began, but these were never completed.

St. George’s Cemetery

Hermoupolis evolved into a major economic, commercial and industrial center during the 19th century. A strong evidence of Hermoupolis’s wealth and affluence is St. George’s churchyard. Most of the monuments belong to important families that played a crucial role both in the Independence Struggle and in the development of the New Hellenic State: such as Mavrogordatos family, Negropontis family, as well as Petrokokkinos, Lagonikos, Galatis, Benakis, Antoniadis, Foustanos, Kouloukountis, Vatis, Petritsis, Proimos, Rodokanakis families. Many facts about their occupation and their life, but also about their death, derive from the inscriptions written on tombstones on the monuments of these families.

The later economic decline of Hermoupolis also caused the interruption of the wealthy activity in the cemetery, resulting in a more modest form in the architecture of the monuments in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Today, St. George's Cemetery is organized in seven areas. In the separate area E, fifty six magnificent mausoleums, belonging to the most eminent families of Hermoupolis, were erected mainly during the 19th and early 20th century. The architectural styles and sculptural decoration of these monuments offer important elements in Art History.

Most of these mausoleums were constructed by Greek sculptors and bear the marks of classicism, which greatly influenced Greek art and architecture in the 19th century. Only ten of these monuments bear the signature of the sculptors, which are Taliadouros family, Vitalis family, George Fytalis, Nick Spanos, Marmarinos, Perakis, John Karpakis and Achille Canessa. According to the researchers of Hermoupolis, Travlos – Kokkou (1980:217-219) and Lydakis (1981:289) there are some more monuments, that seem to be crafted by the sculptors G. and I. Vitalis.

On the monuments we can observe a lot of decorative features as well as inscriptions and epigrams, the main source of inspiration of which is provided by the daily activities of the deceased.

Book about St. George’s Cemetery

The funerary sculptures at St. George’s Cemetery are described in the book from 1994, by Pepy Gavala and Helen Garezou, entitled "The Funerary Sculptures of St. George’s Churchyard at Hermoupolis".

Address

Agiou Georgiou
Ermoupoli 841 00
Greece

A theatrical performance at the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome

On 23th June 2016, a theatrical performance will take place in the Cemetery Chapel at the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome.

Turin: opening doors to Tours

Between art and history is the hidden treasure of the city.