The massive marble monument of Juan Pedro Baro, the Cuban sugar mogul, was constructed at Havana’s Colon cemetery, an improbable storehouse of previous emotions, and he spared no cost in its construction.
Baro’s extramarital affair with Cataline Lasa, one of the most stunning women in Cuba, caused scandal among the upper classes. However, her legacy endures in the opulent details of her Art Deco tomb. Cataline Lasa passed away in 1930.
“The cemetery is full of love stories,” said Mario Darias, a 66-year-old singer-songwriter who has written several books about the Havana graveyard, founded in 1876 and which extends over around 50 hectares (120 acres) in the heart of the city.
The cemetery, which houses the final resting places of notable poets, artists, painters, and doctors as well as freedom heroes, is regarded as an outdoor museum due to its intricate sculptures and architecture.
However, it’s also a site where loves are immortalized—some unexpected, some concealed, some foiled.
One of the most well-known love stories in Cuba is symbolized by Lasa’s mausoleum.
When the aristocratic beauty first laid eyes on Baro, she was already married to the vice president of Cuba’s son.
“High society took sides in this matter and turned their backs on them,” explained Darias.
Following their flight, the two lovers settled in Paris until 1917, when Pope Benedict XV approved their plea to have Lasa’s marriage revoked.
The two went back to Havana, where they resided until Lasa’s illness and death at the age of 55.
Currently undergoing renovation, her mausoleum is composed of black granite and white marble, with glass roses created by French glassmaker Rene Lalique, who passed away in 1945, atop it.
