The body of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be cremated and his urn will then be placed in a mausoleum on the grounds of his villa in the northern town of Arcore. The coffin was returned to Berlusconi’s home on Wednesday after a ceremonial state funeral. Berlusconi has lived in the 17th-century villa since 1974.
The cremation is scheduled for Thursday near the town of Alessandria. Berlusconi, who died of chronic leukemia on Monday at age 86, commissioned Italian sculptor Pietro Cascella to build the mausoleum in the early 1990s. Construction work took three years. The media entrepreneur originally had the mausoleum built for the burial of his relatives and closest friends. Only later did he discover that Italian law only allows bodies to be buried in public cemeteries. However, ashes can be kept in the mausoleum. The mausoleum is still empty because Berlusconi’s parents are buried in a Milanese cemetery.
The mausoleum is a white marble structure with an underground morgue. In the center is a sarcophagus made for Berlusconi. A frieze of chains is carved on the walls, the connected rings being a symbol of family unity. The mausoleum houses 36 burial niches.
Grand state funeral
Italy said goodbye to Berlusconi on Wednesday with a ceremonial state funeral. 2,300 people gathered in Milan Cathedral, including members of Berlusconi’s extended family, guests from politics, business, sports and television. 17,000 people were able to attend the mourning ceremony in the cathedral and in the square in front.
Source: Krone
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