Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Cemetery

California

United States

Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery replaced Pilarcitos Cemetery as the Catholic Cemetery for the area. The first burial in Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery occurred in 1912. The title Our Lady of the Pillar refers to the shrine Nuestra Señora del Pillar erected by St. James in Zaragoza, Spain, the oldest of the Marian shrines. Sunset Magazine included Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery in its list of “Five Great Cemeteries Worth Exploring in Northern California.” In 1820, Pilarcitos Cemetery was established as the Catholic cemetery for the coastal settlers and Indians. The Mexican Government (ruling CA 1822-1848) granted José Tiburcio Vasquez a rancho alongside Pilarcitos Creek in present-day Half Moon Bay, which included land used as the Pilarcitos cemetery. The rancho grew in population during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) as family members left San Francisco for the presumed safety of the coast. Archbishop Alemany appointed the first priest to “Spanishtown” (Fr. Antoine Langlois) in