{{Short description|Cemetery in Greece}} {{Infobox cemetery | name = First Cemetery of Athens<br />{{nobold|{{lang|el|Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών|italic=no}}}} | image = File:Α' Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών.jpg | imagesize = 266 | caption = Aerial view of the First Cemetery of Athens | map_type = | map_size = | map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|37|57|47|N|23|44|16|E|display=inline,title}} | established = 1837 | country = Greece | location = Central Athens }} [[File:DSC-0033-First-Cemetery-of-Athens-august-2017.jpg|alt=|thumb|Tomb of Sofia Afentaki with the ''Sleeping Female Figure'' statue, a work of Yannoulis Chalepas.]] [[File:Averoff grave.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Georgios Averoff.]] [[File:Schliemann grave.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Heinrich Schliemann.]] [[File:Theodoros Kolokotronis.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Theodoros Kolokotronis.]]
The '''First Cemetery of Athens''' ({{langx|el|Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών}}, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious cemetery for Greeks 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 a large green space with pines and cypresses.<ref>[https://www.thisisathens.org/arts-entertainment/sightseeing/first-cemetery-athens/ The First Cemetery of Athens ]</ref>
In the cemetery there are three churches. The main one is the Church of Saint Theodores<!--Plural--> and there is also a smaller one dedicated to Saint Lazarus. The third church of Saint Charles is a Catholic church. The cemetery includes several impressive tombs such as those of Heinrich Schliemann, designed by Ernst Ziller; Ioannis Pesmazoglou; Georgios Averoff; and one tomb with a famous sculpture of a dead young girl called ''I Koimomeni'' ("The Sleeping Girl") and sculpted by Yannoulis Chalepas from the island of Tinos. There are also burial areas for Protestants and Jews, however, this segregation is not compulsory.
The cemetery is under the Municipality of Athens and is declared a historical monument.
==Notable interments==<!-- ♦♦♦ Use alphabetic order and add only existent articles ♦♦♦ --> * Sylva Akrita, politician and anti-junta activist<ref name=ngr>{{cite news |first=|last=|title=Σύλβα Ακρίτα: Την Δευτέρα η κηδεία της στο Α’ Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών |url=https://www.newsit.gr/politikh/sylva-akrita-tin-deytera-i-kideia-tis-sto-a-nekrotafeio-athinon/4559817/ |work=Newsit.gr |date=2025-12-24 |access-date=2025-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229142328/https://www.newsit.gr/politikh/sylva-akrita-tin-deytera-i-kideia-tis-sto-a-nekrotafeio-athinon/4559817/ |archive-date=2025-12-29 |url-status=live}}</ref> * Odysseas Androutsos, hero of the Greek War of Independence * George Averoff, philanthropist, businessman * Sotiria Bellou, singer * Nikolaos Bourandas, police and fire service general, politician * Yannoulis Chalepas, sculptor * Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens * Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Athens * Richard Church, general * Jules Dassin, director, actor * Stratos Dionysiou, singer * Dorotheus, Archbishop of Athens * Odysseas Elytis, poet, 1979 Nobel Laureate in literature * Demetrios Farmakopoulos, painter * George Finlay, historian * Adolf Furtwängler, archaeologist * Manolis Glezos, journalist, WWII hero, and politician * Dimitris Horn, actor * Humphrey Jennings, filmmaker * Georgios Kafantaris, Prime Minister of Greece * Dimitrios Kallergis, statesman * Konstantinos Kanaris, hero of the Greek War of Independence, admiral, statesman * Tzeni Karezi, actress * Manos Katrakis, actor * Nikos Kavvadias, poet * Theodoros Kolokotronis, pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence, general * Marika Kotopouli, actress * Ellie Lambeti, actress * Grigoris Lambrakis, politician * Zoe Laskari, actress * Vassilis Logothetidis, actor * Orestis Makris, actor * Yannis Makriyannis, merchant, military officer, politician, author * Manolis Mantakas, army officer, and politician * Alexandros Mavrokordatos, politician * Melina Mercouri, actress, politician * Andreas Michalakopoulos, politician * Dimitris Mitropanos, singer * Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor, pianist, composer * Nikitaras, hero of the Greek War of Independence * Kostis Palamas, poet * Alexandros Panagoulis, politician, poet, democracy activist * Antonios Papadakis, University of Athens' greatest benefactor * Georgios Papadopoulos, military dictator during the Regime of the Colonels * Dimitris Papamichael, actor and director * Alexandros Papanastasiou, lawyer * Andreas Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece * George Papandreou, Prime Minister of Greece * Kalliroi Parren, feminist * Katina Paxinou, actress * George Polk, American journalist murdered during the Greek Civil War * Théodore Ralli, painter * Alexandros Rizos Rangavis, poet * Georgios Roubanis, athlete * Demis Roussos, singer * Alekos Sakellarios, director, screenwriter, lyricist * Rita Sakellariou, singer * Christos Sartzetakis, President of Greece * Dionysis Savvopoulos, singer<ref>{{cite news | title =Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos buried in a state funeral | date = 26 October 2025 | publisher =AP News | language = en| url =https://apnews.com/article/greece-savvopoulos-funeral-singer-ad2c37112439aec86740fe5c6b875ae7}}</ref> * Heinrich Schliemann, amateur archaeologist who excavated the site of Troy * Sophia Schliemann, his second wife, philanthropist * Giorgos Seferis, poet * Seraphim, Archbishop of Athens * Angelos Sikelianos, poet * Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of Greece * Spyros Spyromilios, military officer * Michael Tositsas, benefactor * Charilaos Trikoupis, Prime Minister of Greece * Antonis Tritsis, Mayor of Athens * Vassilis Tsitsanis, rebetiko composer * Ioannis Varvakis, member of Filiki Eteria * Thanasis Veggos, actor * Sofia Vembo, singer <!-- *Aristides Voudouris, businessman and newspaper publisher --> * Aliki Vougiouklaki, actress * T.H. White, author * Emmanuil Xanthos, a founder of the Filiki Eteria * Nikos Xilouris, singer and composer * Nikos Zachariadis, politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) from 1931 to 1956 * Napoleon Zervas, Hellenic Army officer and WWII resistance leader * Ernst Ziller, architect * Xenophon Zolotas, Prime Minister of Greece <!-- ♦♦♦ Use alphabetic order and add only existent articles ♦♦♦ -->
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Athens Cemetery - Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών - panoramio.jpg|Entrance File:Graves at the First Cemetery of Athens 01.jpg|Graves at the First Cemetery of Athens File:Atenas, Primer Cementerio 15.jpg|Angel statue File:Grave of Sir Richard Church.jpg|Grave of Richard Church File:Archbishop Damaskinos grave.JPG|Grave of Damaskinos of Athens File:Tomb of Konstantinos Kanaris in Athens.png|Grave of Konstantinos Kanaris File:Atenas, Primer Cementerio 05.jpg|Grave of Adamantios Korais File:Papandreou grave.jpg|Grave of Andreas Papandreou File:Grave of Kalliroi Parren.jpg|Grave of Kalliroi Parren File:Sofia Vembo(3).JPG|Grave of Sofia Vembo File:Graves at the First Cemetery of Athens 03.jpg|General view File:DSC-0036-athens-first-cemetery-2017.jpg|Entrance to the chapel </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{no footnotes|date=January 2017}} * ''Papyrus Larousse Britannica'', 2006
==External links== * {{commons category inline|First Cemetery of Athens}} * {{Find a Grave cemetery}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:First Cemetery Of Athens}} Category:Cemeteries in Greece Category:National cemeteries Category:Eastern Orthodox cemeteries in Greece Category:Roman Catholic cemeteries Category:Anglican cemeteries in Europe Category:Lutheran cemeteries Category:Buildings and structures in Athens Category:Tourist attractions in Athens Category:1837 establishments in Greece