The mausoleum where legendary Brazilian footballer Pelé was laid to rest opened to the public on Monday. The 2,000-square-foot space is set on the second floor of Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery in Santos, São Paulo—located just nearby the Vila Belmiro Stadium where Pelé played for 18 years.
And the lavish resting place is certainly fitting of the man who is widely regarded to be one of the greatest football players of all time.
At the entrance of the mausoleum, fans are first greeted by two golden statues of Pelé. The inside was designed to be a replica of a stadium with Pelé's gold casket sitting on an artificial turf floor, walls covered in images of fans, and even the ceiling is painted to resemble the sky. For the full effect, a soundtrack of cheering fans even plays on a constant loop.
Following a small ceremony with family and friends, Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, one of Pelé's sons spoke about how much the mausoleum would have meant to his father. "This was made with a lot of love by people who knew him, who lived with him," Nascimento said. "It has the essence of what he was."
Pelé died at the age of 82 on Dec. 29, 2022, and was laid to rest at the mausoleum just five days later. At the time of his death, he was the world record holder for scoring an astounding 1,279 goals in 1,363 games.
The space was designed by Pepe Alstut, the cemetery's owner, before he died in 2018. Alstut's original plan was to have the mausoleum overlooking a view of the club's stadium on the ninth floor, as the high-rise building holds the Guinness World Record for being the tallest vertical cemetery in the world. However, Pelé's family felt the second floor would provide easier access to fans.
Currently, the mausoleum is only allowing 60 visitors per day. Those hoping to get in can sign up via a form on the Ecumenical Memorial Cemetery's website.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/OjSycbH
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