Non-Catholic Cemetery

The non-Catholic (Protestant) Cemetary in Rome is an historic jewel. It is a private cemetery in the Testaccio section of Rome, near Porta San Paolo and adjacent to the Pyramid of Cestius -- an Egyptian-style pyramid built around 15 BC. I came here to see the graves of English poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, two of my favorites from English literature. The cemetary itself is well maintained. It was a rainy day when I visited; the ground and granite steps were slippery. Be prepared to leave a donation of at least 5€ for the cemetery's maintenance.

Commonly called "The Protestant Cemetery in Rome," this quiet space is best known for the graves of Keats and Shelly. However, the most moving sculpture here--and perhaps in any cemetery--is the Angel of Grief atop the tomb of Emelyn Story, carved by her husband The rules of the cemetery prohibit photos of the graves on social media. I am respecting that rule but here are outside photos of the entrance. They also request a donation of at least five euros for entry. Tucked behind the pyramid of Cestius, it's is not easy to find. The entrance is a couple hundred meters off via Marmorata on via Caio Cestio.

This cemetery/cat sanctuary is well worth one's time if you happen to find yourself in this area of Testaccio. Oddly enough, we were on a food tour that made this stop in between a lot of eateries and it was a welcome reprieve. Thanks to a terrific guide we got to hear the story of the pyramid, Keat's grave and the terra cotta. I don't know about you, but it's not every day I get to experience all of the above in one beautiful place. I will say that you can definitely smell that it's a cat sanctuary. Didn't bother us because it wasn't hot, but in the heat of summer am guessing it could be a bit of deterrent.

One of a Kind This is not a massive cemetery, so one can visit it thoroughly in about two hours. There are a few noteworthy graves here (Shelley, Keats, etc.), but what makes this cemetery unique is that it is for non-Christians and/or non-Romans. Also, how many cemeteries in Rome can boast a view of a two thousand year old pyramid? Oh, and then there's the cats...

This unique facility, cared for and funded by volunteers, gets my vote as one of the most atmospheric destinations in Rome. Come for the cat colony, the unique view of the pyramid, to wander among graves and smell the soil and the trees - or come, like most visitors, to peer at the graves of Keats and Shelley and try to understand their esoteric epitaphs. Beautiful on a sunny day and sombre in the rain, there's always something new to discover and photograph. Entrance is free but a polite donation of at least €3 is expected. Highly recommended.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Keats took that to mean "die." (d. 1821, age 25) P.B. Shelley took it to mean "be interred in" (but only after drowning in the Gulf of Spezia, initially being buried in Viareggio, and then having his body exhumed and cremated per health regulations).(note 1) (d. 1822, age 29)(note 2) To each his own. Theirs are two of the higher profile graves to be found in the "Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners," amidst a sort of Who's Who of other writers, artists, philosophers, relations, etc.--many of them English, Italian, and Spanish. (And there are cats, lots of cats--but those are alive.) As described in Shelley's preface to "Adonaïs" (1821): "The cemetery is an open space among the ruins, covered in winter with violets and daisies. It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place." Be advised that, if you share Shelley's beatific vision of the Cemetery, are non-Catholic, and would like to R.I.P. here, plots for funereal urns are still available. (And why not? A thing of beauty is a joy forever!) But before you shuffle off this mortal coil, it's well worth a visit to see the following three gravesites in particular (and to do graphite rubbings of them, if that's your thing): (1) The Keats headstone, with its peculiar inscription ("This grave contains all that was mortal, of a YOUNG ENGLISH POET, Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart, at the Malicious Power of his Enemies, Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone: Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water"); (2) Shelley's grave (inscribed with lines from the "Tempest": "Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange"); and, (3) William Wetmore Story's oft-replicated elegiac "L'Angelo del dolore" (1894) sculpture--arrestingly beautiful especially for the angel's left arm and hand limply hanging down in front (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23251968@N07/3524495921/). The sculpture was designed for the tomb of the sculptor's wife, Emelyn Story (d. 1895), and the artist himself (d. 1895) is also buried beneath it. Lastly: "What is death? Who dares to say that which will come after the grave?" (Shelley, "An Address to the People on The Death of the Princess Charlotte" (1817)) Hopefully, at least, no more poetic outbursts along the lines of, "I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!" ("Ode to the West Wind" (1819)). ------------------------------------- (note 1) Shelley's heart is not among those ashes; his heart "survived" the cremation (because, you know, that's how Romantic Poetry works) and was eventually given as a souvenir to his wife, Mary Shelley. If you'd like to visit his heart, check out St. Peter's Churchyard, Bournemouth, Dorset, England, where it was finally buried along with his son in 1889. (For more on this, see E. P. Scarlett, MB. Cor Cordium: A Discussion of the Circumstances in Connection With the Cremation of Shelly, the English Poet. Arch Intern Med. 1966;118(4):406-412.) (note 2) The [London] Courier had this to say: "Shelley, the writer of some infidel poetry, has been drowned, now he knows whether there is a God or not" (5 August 1822).