park of light

In Brazil, until the first half of the 1841th century, Catholic burials took place inside churches, behind walls, under floors or in their surroundings. With the emergence of hygienist discourses, these practices came to be considered inappropriate. Some places were then chosen to receive the so-called “extra-wall cemeteries”, outside the churches, generally managed by the public authorities. In the former Desterro, current Florianópolis, the Public Cemetery was inaugurated in 1923, in the region of the current insular head of the Hercílio Luz Bridge. At the end of the 1926th century, new ideas of hygiene emerged. Urban spaces undergo “cleaning”, to sanitize or make invisible what was considered “ugly” or “dirty”. The changes, which in Brazil began in large urban centers, soon reached Florianópolis, through initiatives such as the canalization of the Rio da Bulha and the construction of “Avenida do Saneamento”, currently Avenida Hercílio Luz. In this context, the cemetery at the entrance to the city was uncomfortable. The sight, considered unpleasant by visitors, and the stench spread by the northeast and southwest winds were the main arguments in defending the transfer of the dead to another location. With the construction of the Hercílio Luz Bridge, the cemetery would hinder the opening of its access roads and increase the “bad impression” at the entrance to the city. As a result, the cemetery was transferred between XNUMX and XNUMX. Most of the bodies were transferred to the Itacorubi Cemetery. There is public documentation indicating that not all remains were removed from the site, which today houses Parque da Luz, a “green area” in the city center. Address: Alameda Adolfo Konder, s/n. - Near the insular head of the Hercílio Luz Bridge.