Cavite City, Philippines
part of the story of how I became a taphophile
Saint Peter Catholic Cemetery in Cavite City is much different from the cemeteries that I visit in the United States. In the U.S. cemeteries, there are only a few “above ground” tombs that I can remember. Most have in-ground graves and columbariums. My future wife took me to Saint Peter Catholic Cemetery to visit the tomb of some of her family members. It was a new experience for me! There are no in-ground graves!
Brief history of the graveyard site
Cavite is on a flat peninsula that extends into the Southeast side of Manila Bay. It is Southwest of the Capital City of Manila. Its proximity to Manila made it an ideal port for shipping and trade, and the site of many international conflicts over control of the Philippines. You can see the remaining brick structure of the church in some of my photos. It is known locally as San Pedro Apostol Parish. The original building was damaged during World War II. Sangley Point at the North end of the Cavite Peninsula was a U.S. Navy base in World War II, making it a prime target for Japanese bombers. Here is a link for more information: San Pedro Apostol Parish Of Cavite City – It’s Me Bluedreamer! (bluedreamer27.com)
The current St. Peter Catholic parish church is nearby in the Caridad neighborhood. Here is a link to the church’s Facebook page: Saint Peter Parish Cavite City | Cavite | Facebook. Since the cemetery probably started while the church on site was still active, we would call this a graveyard in the U.S.
With the flat peninsula, parts of the city flood with every high tide. The shallow water table is detrimental to in-ground burials. So all of the “burials” are in above-ground tombs. In the cemetery, workers are available near the entrance to assist family members with the tombs. The workers also help families retrieve the bones of deceased relatives that are removed from an apartment tomb if the “rent” expires. (see below)
apartment tombs
Photo above: a closer look at some of the “apartment tombs” in Saint Peter Catholic Cemetery in Cavite City. As you can see, there are two sizes of tombs to rent. The larger tombs can accommodate a casket. Bodies are placed in the tombs for 5 years at a time. If the family does not pay the “rent” to keep the body in the tomb, cemetery workers remove the bones and throw them in the trash. Even with embalming, after 5 years of tropical heat and humidity, most of the soft tissue is gone when the bones are removed from the tomb.
photos below of some of the above ground tombs
Deep inside the cemetery there are many above-ground family tombs. These tombs often hold the bodies of several family members. Some of the “stacked” tombs hold 10 or more bodies. When multiple names are listed on the tomb it indicates that multiple remains are in the tomb.
The metal enclosures are family tombs
https://culturesandgraves.com/about-the-author/
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