Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C., United States

Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. The United States military cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee. On June 15, 1864, the Arlington House property and 200 acres of surrounding land were designated as a military cemetery as Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs wanted to ensure that Lee could not return to the site.

Today the cemetery is the final resting place for more than 300,000 veterans died in every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The first soldier to be buried in Arlington was Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania on May 13, 1864. The most famous people buried to Arlington are Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. Also Kennedy's two brothers, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, and General of the Armies John J. Pershing are buried there.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Ian Lever (12 months ago)
Powerful and historical being there. We watched the changing of the guard that happens every hour in the winter and it was a unique experience that was new to me. The park rangers were really nice too and provided some interesting historical perspectives.

Iris (12 months ago)
Wonderful place to visit. It was very humbling to get a glimpse of the lives that have been sacrificed. Very humbling and inspiring. The grounds are immaculate and the guards are very efficient.

Dina Maureen Hogan (14 months ago)
Happy Birthday Dad...in heaven. Absolutely, the best man i ever met in this life. How lucky was I. Miss you everyday! My life without you was so difficult....could of been a marine....haha. You are my heart, my soul, your daughter. Love forever...Din

Nick Lorch (14 months ago)
The hauntingly gorgeous hills of Arlington looks down onto D.C. and reminds those that are public servants that all who came before them served the vision of our country. This hallowed land memorializes and is a reminder that the present day politicians legacy and dedication to this countries people and our freedom is sacred. May all those in power not use this space for publicity but reflection and to carry on the ideals of the creators of this special country!

Kayyee Tracy (14 months ago)
First time going. Pay for the train. It’s super cheap, it runs frequently, and you can hop on and off to see the things you’d like to see. It’s also handicap friendly. I have an Injury and can’t do too much walking and standing but it was doable. The changing of the guards is announced clearly and writhing time and the trains accommodate you so it’s not too much walking to see it. Everything is beautiful. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and very respectful. The new women’s extension is honorable. Coming from the daughter of a Purple Heart Vietnam Veteran daughter this brings me pride. My dad is also in a military cemetery in Suffolk and this was such an honor to just be there. I plan to go back soon and really get a chance to visit every part of it.

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Saint-Eustache

The Church of St Eustace was built between 1532-1632. St Eustace"s is considered a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The church’s reputation was strong enough of the time for it to be chosen as the location for a young Louis XIV to receive communion. Mozart also chose the sanctuary as the location for his mother’s funeral. Among those baptised here as children were Richelieu, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, future Madame de Pompadour and Molière, who was also married here in the 17th century. The last rites for Anne of Austria, Turenne and Mirabeau were pronounced within its walls. Marie de Gournay is buried there.

The origins of Saint Eustache date back to 13th century. The church became a parish church in 1223, thanks to a man named Jean Alais who achieved this by taxing the baskets of fish sold nearby, as granted by King Philip Augustus. To thank such divine generosity, Alais constructed a chapel dedicated to Sainte-Agnès, a Roman martyr. The construction of the current church began in 1532, the work not being finally completed until 1637. The name of the church refers to Saint Eustace, a Roman general of the second century AD who was burned, along with his family, for converting to Christianity, and it is believed that it was the transfer of a relic of Saint Eustache from the Abbey to Saint-Denis to the Church of Saint Eustache which resulted in its naming. Jeanne Baptiste d"Albert de Luynes was baptised here.

According to tourist literature on-site, during the French Revolution the church, like most churches in Paris, was desecrated, looted, and used for a time as a barn. The church was restored after the Revolution had run its course and remains in use today. Several impressive paintings by Rubens remain in the church today. Each summer, organ concerts commemorate the premieres of Berlioz’s Te Deum and Liszt’s Christus here in 1886.

The church is an example of a Gothic structure clothed in Renaissance detail. The church is relatively short in length at 105m, but its interior is 33.45m high to the vaulting. At the main façade, the left tower has been completed in Renaissance style, while the right tower remains a stump. The front and rear aspects provide a remarkable contrast between the comparatively sober classical front and the exuberant rear, which integrates Gothic forms and organization with Classical details. The L"écoute sculpture by Henri de Miller appears outside the church, to the south. A Keith Haring sculpture stands in a chapel of the church.

The Chapel of the Virgin was built in 1640 and restored from 1801 to 1804. It was inaugurated by Pius VII on the 22nd of December, 1804 when he came to Paris for the coronation of Napoleon. The apse chapel, with a ribbed cul-de-four vault, has at its centre a sculpture of the Virgin and Child of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle that the painter Thomas Couture highlighted by three large paintings.

With 8,000 pipes, the organ is reputed to be the largest pipe organ in France, surpassing the organs of Saint Sulpice and Notre Dame de Paris. The organ originally constructed by P.-A. Ducroquet was powerful enough for the premiere of Hector Berlioz" titanic Te Deum to be performed at St-Eustache in 1855.

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