In town Santoswhere he spent the vast majority of his long career, opened to the public the mausoleum where he “rests” Pele. The world football legend died in December at the age of 82 in the city of Santos and now there is a place of worship for his millions of fans.
Two golden statues of “King Pele” awaited the first visitors at the entrance to the mausoleum of Enjon Arantes do Nascimento. As is well known, Pele had bought a place in the ecumenical necropolis of the port city where he played for most of his career and built his legend. The final resting place of Pele, who died of colon cancer on December 29, is in a “vertical cemetery”, the highest in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. His father, brother and one of his daughters are also buried there.
The specially designed mausoleum covers an area of ​​200 sq.m. and resembles a football field, with the synthetic turf and the photos of the “King”. Access is through a two-meter-wide corridor decorated with photos of the most famous “No. 10” in football history and is located on the 1st of the 14 floors of the imposing building.
“We still feel a lot of pain, a lot of nostalgia, but also a lot of pride and joy, for the acts of tenderness and respect he enjoys“, commented Edinho, one of Pele’s six children, visibly moved.
The body of the three-time world champion rests in a shining golden coffin, adorned with a cross. On the sides, two black panels represent the thousandth goal that Pele celebrated with a raised fist.
At the moment and on a daily basis, only 60 people can visit Pele’s mausoleum, although the local authorities want to make the vertical cemetery a tourist spot.
The necropolis, surrounded by many types of plants, looks like a grand hotel from the outside, with its white facade. It offers 18,000 graves and a special space for the urns containing the ashes of the dead. Designed by an Argentinian businessman, the luxury facility covers four hectares and offers meditation rooms, relaxation suites, a 24-hour restaurant, a chapel, a car museum, an aviary and a small fish pond.
From the vertical cemetery, the visitor who wants to pay tribute to Pele, can see the Vila Belmiro stadium of Santos, where at the end of December 2022, tens of thousands of sports fans gathered to honor the deceased.
Source: Sport Fm
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