First Cemetery Of Athens, Municipality Of Athens

The First Cemetery of Athens (Greek: Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών) is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a luxurious cemetery for famous Greek people and foreigners. The cemetery is located behind the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathinaiko Stadium in central Athens. It can be found at the top end of Anapafseos Street (Eternal Rest Street). It is large green space including pines and cypresses.

In the cemetery there are three churches. The main is the Church of Saint Theodores and there is also a smaller of Saint Lazarus. The third church is a Catholic church. The cemetery includes the tomb of Heinrich Schliemann, designed by Ernst Ziller, the tomb of Ioannis Pesmazoglou, that of Georgios Averoff, and one named I Koimomeni (the Sleeping Girl), by the sculptor Yannoulis Chalepas, from the island Tinos. There are also separate burial places for Protestants and Jews.

The cemetery is under the Municipality of Athens and it is declared as an historical monument.

Notable interments

• George Averoff, philanthropist, businessman
• Sotiria Bellou, singer
• Yannoulis Chalepas, sculptor
• Richard Church, general
• Jules Dassin, director, actor
• Odysseas Elytis, poet
• Demetrios Farmakopoulos, painter
• Adolf Furtwängler, archaeologist
• Humphrey Jennings, filmmaker
• Georgios Kafantaris, prime minister
• Manos Katrakis, actor
• Theodoros Kolokotronis, general, politician
• Marika Kotopouli, actress
• Vassilis Logothetidis, actor
• Orestis Makris, actor
• Melina Mercouri, actress, politician
• Andreas Michalakopoulos, politician
• Dimitris Mitropanos, singer
• Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor, pianist, composer
• Kostis Palamas, poet
• Alexandros Panagoulis, politician, poet, democracy activist
• Andreas Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece
• George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece
• Katina Paxinou, actress
• Alekos Sakellarios, director, screenwriter, lyricist
• Rita Sakellariou, singer
• Heinrich Schliemann, amateur archaeologist who excavated the site of Troy
• Giorgos Seferis, poet
• Angelos Sikelianos, poet
• Charilaos Trikoupis, Prime Minister of Greece
• Vassilis Tsitsanis, rebetiko composer
• Thanasis Veggos, actor
• Sofia Vembo, singer
• Aliki Vougiouklaki, actress
• T.H. White, author
• Emmanuil Xanthos, a founder of the Filiki Eteria
• Nikos Xilouris, singer and composer
• Ernst Ziller, architect
• Xenophon Zolotas, prime minister