All about Zakynthos

It is known historically that there were two English cemeteries in Zakynthos.The first one, the one that remains today, was intended for the English citizens who lived in Zakynthos and the military and political officials, and according to the L. Zoi. The second one, again according to L. Zoi, was founded by the municipal council of Zakynthos in 1815, approximately, with the beginning of the English "Protection" and was intended for the burial of English Catholic soldiers. This cemetery was located on the site where the open-air theatre is now built and its burial monuments were moved to the other cemetery. From the surviving evidence one can conclude that the English community of Zakynthos was both numerous and remarkable, as the form and the magnificence of the graves testify to a high aesthetic and economic level.The cemetery consists of two levels connected by a stone staircase. The arrangement of the graves is irregular within the cemetery enclosure. On the highest level are the tombstones of the other cemetery, which were moved in recent times.The tombs preserved are temple tombs, sarcophagus tombs, tombstones in the form of sarcophagi, tombstones in the form of an annulet, vertical tombstones in a variety of shapes with shields and monograms, marble or stone crosses. Others are made of carved Zakynthian stones (Gerakas sandstone) or white marble and others of mountainous Zakynthian stone (zacharia). The quality of the burial monuments dictates immediate action for their maintenance and restoration before the ravages of time contribute to their total destruction.