First Cemetery stars to get mausoleum
The remains of major artists, singers and actors buried in Athens’s First Cemetery are to be placed in a new mausoleum to protect them from vandalism and highlight their significance, City of Athens officials said yesterday. The project aims to provide a common resting place for the likes of popular actress Aliki Vougiouklaki and singers Sotiria Bellou and Grigoris Bithikotsis. The initiative will not apply to famous figures who have been buried in family tombs, such as former Culture Minister and actress Melina Mercouri. Authorities stressed that the procedure will respect the families of the deceased. «Relatives need not worry because the aim of this venture is the more discreet treatment of eminent artists in the cemetery,» Deputy Mayor Thanassis Kafezas told Kathimerini.
