Mount Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois) facts for kids
The Bishops' Mausoleum at Mount Carmel Cemetery.
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1901 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Roman Catholic |
| Owned by | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago |
| Size | 214 acres (0.87 km2) |
| No. of graves | 226,000+ |
Mount Carmel Cemetery is a large Roman Catholic cemetery located in Hillside, Illinois. Hillside is a suburb near the big city of Chicago. A cemetery is a special place where people who have passed away are buried.
Mount Carmel Cemetery opened in 1901. It is a very big place, covering about 214 acres (which is like 160 football fields!). Over 226,000 people are buried there. About 800 new burials happen each year. Another Catholic cemetery, Queen of Heaven Cemetery, is right next to Mount Carmel.
Many people buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery have Italian family backgrounds. You can see this in the beautiful headstones and monuments. These often have statues of religious figures like Jesus, Mary, and angels. Some tombstones even have photos of the people buried there. This is a tradition common in Italian cemeteries.
The cemetery also holds the graves of two soldiers from Canada who fought in World War I. These are called Commonwealth War Graves.
Contents
The Bishops' Mausoleum
The most important building at Mount Carmel Cemetery is the Bishops' Mausoleum. A mausoleum is a building that holds the graves or remains of many people. This special building is the final resting place for the Bishops and Archbishops of Chicago. These are important leaders of the Catholic Church in the area.
The mausoleum was built between 1905 and 1912. It was designed by an architect named William J. Brinkmann. The building looks like an old Romanesque church from the outside. It has a stepped roof with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel on top. Gabriel is shown blowing his trumpet.
Inside, the mausoleum has a beautiful chapel. It is decorated with marble and mosaics. Mosaics are pictures made from small pieces of colored glass or stone. The chapel has an altar and religious paintings. It also has crypts, which are small rooms or spaces where coffins are placed.
One of the most recent people buried here was Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. He was a very respected leader of the Catholic Church. He passed away in 1996.
Famous People Buried Here
Mount Carmel Cemetery is the final resting place for many well-known people. This includes leaders of the church and people famous in other fields.
Notable Burials
- Cardinal Joseph Bernardin: A very important leader of the Catholic Church.
- Cardinal John Cody: Another significant Cardinal.
- Dennis Farina: A famous actor.
- Archbishop Patrick Feehan: He was the very first Archbishop of Chicago.
- Julia Buccola Petta: Known as "The Italian Bride."
- Jack Powell: A professional baseball player.
- Bishop William J. Quarter: The first Bishop of Chicago.
- Archbishop James Edward Quigley: Another important Archbishop.
- Ken Silvestri: A professional baseball player and coach.
- Cardinal Samuel Stritch: A Cardinal of the Catholic Church.
- Al Capone: A well-known figure from Chicago's past.
Train Service to the Cemetery
Long ago, people could even take a special train to Mount Carmel Cemetery! The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad built a branch line just for the cemetery. This train service started in 1906.
The train station was right inside the cemetery grounds. People could take daily shuttle trains from nearby towns. On Sundays and holidays, direct trains came all the way from downtown Chicago. This made it easier for families to visit their loved ones.
Passenger train service to the cemetery stopped in 1926. However, special funeral trains continued for a few more years. The last funeral train is thought to have run in 1934.
