Dec
14
Mount Carmel Cemetery, Hillside IL
Filed Under Angels and Fairies, Madonna / Virgin Mary, Mount Carmel - Hillside IL, Photography, Statues, Tombstones
Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic cemetery that was consecrated in 1901. It's located right across the street from Queen of Heaven, which it combined operations with in 1965. While many nationalities can be found at both, Mount Carmel is predominantly Italian, and Queen of Heaven is predominantly Slavic. The cultural influences come through in the tombstones, statues and mausoleum designs.
Mount Carmel has over 226,000 people buried on its land, and around 800 join them every year. Flat markers are in the minority here, and there are over 400 family mausoleums. You could find something new and interesting every time you visit.
At the heart of the cemetery, on a small hill, is the Bishops' Mausoleum. Above the door is the word "RESURRECTURIS" which means "for those who will rise again". The Archangel Gabriel, sounding a trumpet, stands on top of the building (It is said that at the time of the resurrection, Gabriel will sound the trumpet, and the graves will open and the dead will rise). Constructed between 1905 and 1912, it is the final resting place of the Bishops and Archbishops of Chicago. Recently laid to rest there was Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.
The cemetery is better known for the many members of Chicago organised crime, including O'Banion, The Genna Brothers, and of course, Al Capone, who are buried there. These following photos were taken in December of 2007. Due to the number of images on each subject, I'll make separate posts for the mausoleums, and for the popularity of statues of Saint Michael the Archangel.
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