GETHSEMANI CEMETERY & MAUSOLEUMS
2001 Spencerville Road
Lima, Ohio 45805
419.223.1651
Established: 1873
Acres: 34
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 1 Tombstone
Here at Bella Morte, we don’t give 1/2 Tombstone ratings. If we did, Gethsemani Cemetery and Mausoleums would most-assuredly be recipients. While the grounds do, for the most part, manage to dodge the “memorial park bullet,” i.e. vast expanses of flat markers, there are certainly several qualifying sections. Beyond that, the mausoleums referred to in the name are, with one exception, of the contemporary, outdoor, and definitely-not-built-for-the-ages variety. There are also a number of generic statues of Jesus, Mary and some saints…but, again, these are hardly worth bothering to get out of your vehicle to photograph (as our anemic gallery will easily attest).
The only thing to recommend the cemetery, and this comes with the recommendation you really consider the first paragraph, is the oldest of the mausoleums. This structure resembles a medieval fortress and is quite intriguing because of it. The grounds around it are impeccably maintained (as is the entire cemetery) and the addition of a simple black gate accentuates the sense of the building as a bulwark. Unfortunately, the doors are locked and provide no glass with which to have a look inside. Still, if you do happen to be in Gethsemani, it’s a feature worth seeking out.
Had we not been in the area to visit the simple (but nevertheless haunting) Lima State Hospital Cemetery, we would not have even bothered to put Gethsemani on our agenda. So…be warned.
[F]
2001 Spencerville Road
Lima, Ohio 45805
419.223.1651
Established: 1873
Acres: 34
Official Website
Bella Morte Rating: 1 Tombstone
Here at Bella Morte, we don’t give 1/2 Tombstone ratings. If we did, Gethsemani Cemetery and Mausoleums would most-assuredly be recipients. While the grounds do, for the most part, manage to dodge the “memorial park bullet,” i.e. vast expanses of flat markers, there are certainly several qualifying sections. Beyond that, the mausoleums referred to in the name are, with one exception, of the contemporary, outdoor, and definitely-not-built-for-the-ages variety. There are also a number of generic statues of Jesus, Mary and some saints…but, again, these are hardly worth bothering to get out of your vehicle to photograph (as our anemic gallery will easily attest).
The only thing to recommend the cemetery, and this comes with the recommendation you really consider the first paragraph, is the oldest of the mausoleums. This structure resembles a medieval fortress and is quite intriguing because of it. The grounds around it are impeccably maintained (as is the entire cemetery) and the addition of a simple black gate accentuates the sense of the building as a bulwark. Unfortunately, the doors are locked and provide no glass with which to have a look inside. Still, if you do happen to be in Gethsemani, it’s a feature worth seeking out.
Had we not been in the area to visit the simple (but nevertheless haunting) Lima State Hospital Cemetery, we would not have even bothered to put Gethsemani on our agenda. So…be warned.
[F]