Bonfim Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with an important connection to the city’s extreme metal history. In 1987, Sarcófago used the cemetery as the setting for photographs that appeared on the cover of their debut album, “I.N.R.I.”, one of the defining releases from the early Brazilian extreme metal scene.
The photograph shows the band in front of the tomb of Pacífico Mascarenhas, wearing corpse paint, bullet belts and other elements that became closely associated with the visual identity of extreme metal. The image helped give Bonfim Cemetery a lasting place in the history surrounding Sarcófago, and the same tomb can still be found within the cemetery.
Bonfim Cemetery opened on 8 February 1897 and is the oldest cemetery in Belo Horizonte. It was created as part of the construction of the new state capital and follows the same geometric planning used for the city itself, with 54 sections divided by two main avenues and a network of smaller roads.
The cemetery is also known for its elaborate tombs, mausoleums and funerary sculpture. Many were created by Italian artists and craftsmen who came to Brazil around the end of the 19th century, and the cemetery contains works influenced by styles ranging from the Belle Époque and Art Deco to Brazilian modernism.
ADDRESS:
R. Bonfim, 1120 – Bonfim, Belo Horizonte – MG, 31210-150, Brazil
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Back to Belo Horizonte.