Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery

Saint Mary's Catholic Cemetery is a 30-acre burial ground in Norfolk, Virginia, set along the Lafayette River beside the Virginia Zoological Park. Father Matthew O'Keefe, founder of Saint Mary's Catholic Church, bought the land in 1854, and the cemetery was established that year in response to a yellow fever epidemic. It is one of the oldest monument cemeteries in the area and one of only eight Catholic cemeteries in Virginia. The grounds hold six family mausoleums, built between about 1898 and 1936 or possibly the late 1800s and early 1900s, along with a 1980 crypt mausoleum. A bronze World War I memorial crucifix by sculptor George A. Lober stands at the centre. Marble angels, statues, columns and unusual monuments add to the landscape, as do mature oak, cedar and magnolia trees. The cemetery was recognised for its landscape architecture and design, with a period of significance from 1854 to 1936. A lay board, a superintendent and volunteers continue to maintain it.