The First Cemetery of Athens (
Greek: Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών, Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón) is the official cemetery of the City of
Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious cemetery for
Greeks and foreigners.
The cemetery is located behind the
Temple of Olympian Zeus and the
Panathinaiko Stadium in central Athens. It can be found at the top end of Anapafseos Street (Eternal Rest Street). It is a large green space with
pines and
cypresses.[1]
In the cemetery there are three churches. The main one is the Church of
Saint Theodores and there is also a smaller one dedicated to
Saint Lazarus. The third church of Saint Charles is a
Catholic church. The cemetery includes several impressive tombs such as those of
Heinrich Schliemann, designed by
Ernst Ziller;
Ioannis Pesmazoglou;
Georgios Averoff; and one tomb with a famous sculpture of a dead young girl called I Koimomeni ("The Sleeping Girl") and sculpted by
Yannoulis Chalepas from the island of
Tinos. There are also burial areas for
Protestants and
Jews, however, this segregation is not compulsory.
The cemetery is under the Municipality of Athens and is declared a historical monument.