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Timor-Leste
Dili District
Dili
Things to Do in Dili
Cemetery of Santa Cruz
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Cemetery of Santa Cruz

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See all things to do
Cemetery of Santa Cruz
4
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
47 within 3 miles
A Lo Cubano Restaurante
11
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Caribbean • European • Asian
Jeitu Burguer
2
0.7 miAmerican • Fast Food • Diner
Terrace Cafe
5
0.7 mi
Great Wall Restaurant
23
0.8 miChinese • Asian • Vegetarian Friendly
Padaria Brasao
25
0.8 mi$ • Bakeries • Cafe • European
Katua's Hotel
9
0.8 mi$$ - $$$ • Cafe • European • Portuguese
Burger King Bidau Lecidere
12
0.8 mi$
De Moza
1
0.8 mi$
Fatima Cafe
1
0.8 miCafe
Doce Tantacao
9
0.8 mi$ • European • Portuguese
See all
Attractions
6 within 6 miles
The Archives & Museum of East Timorese Resistance
238
0.8 miSpeciality Museums
Cristo Rei
504
Monuments & Statues
Xanana GusmAo Reading Room
7
0.8 miLibraries
Largo de Lecidere
10
0.9 miParks
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
41
1.2 miChurches & Cathedrals
Arte Moris
38
Art Galleries
See all
See what other travelers are saying
  • Agus S
    Surabaya, Indonesia697 contributions
    beautiful cemetery with history
    Its a beautiful cemetery with a lot of history. visit Sebastiao Gomez grave and learn the history of the massacre. a visit would be great if you have a local friend as your guide. most of them will get very emotionally and it just make your visit even worth your time
    Visited January 2020
    Written January 27, 2020
  • paknasi
    Riga, Latvia564 contributions
    Historic Site
    Given what the world saw of the massacres that took place pre-independence for Timor Leste, we had to visit this place. It's an incredible site with graves crammed so close together, it's difficult to move around. I actually jumped the fence to get back to the front gate as I was getting stressed. Far too many Timorese have died in their youth!
    Visited February 2020
    Written February 22, 2020
  • Julie D
    Melbourne, Australia190 contributions
    Go with a guide!
    It is very difficult to examine the headstones as you cannot easily move from one to another as they are packed so closely. In-between each grave is long grass, rubbish that has been left to burn or rot, slippery wax from old candles and general decay. If you were looking for someone in particular you would need a guide.
    Visited March 2022
    Written March 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
134 reviews
Excellent
62
Very good
42
Average
27
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Alex H
Port St. Mary, UK1,313 contributions
Eerie but necessary to visit this important area
Jul 2023 • Friends
A very eerie place to visit and one of absolute significance in Timor Leste regarding the struggle for independence. Visiting here was unnerving given what happened in 1991, but some of the gravestones in the Cemetary are really beautiful in their own way. While there is no real path around, you can meander your way through, but of course try to be as respectful as you can. Recommend coming here AFTER visiting the resistance museum but it’s not essential. All in all, a must see on your Dili itinerary.
Written July 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
paul g
Brisbane, Australia818 contributions
Very moving.
Feb 2017 • Friends
This cemetery really tells a story as the tombs of various cultures are there, the tombs of people of various wealth are there and most poignantly the graves of variously aged people are there, many very very young children. It was fascinating to walk through here and reflect and while we were there a few local family groups came to pay their respects in different ways and also to take part in religious traditions.
Written April 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lyndall K
14 contributions
We went here as part of the microlet tour run by JDN
Apr 2017 • Friends
Its very moving to visit the cemetery, particularly with our JDN tour guide, Alberto, as he could tell as the story of the cemetery. It is the site of a big massacre that happened during Indonesian Occupation.

Highly recommend the microlet tour
Written April 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Col A
Brisbane Region, Australia437 contributions
The bullet marks still evident of the massacre here.
Aug 2018 • Friends
Until the filming of the horrific massacre that occurred to the Timorese here was smuggled out, the rest of the world was unaware of the genocide and horror being enacted on the timorese by the Indonesian occupation.
Written July 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave P
Darwin, Australia82 contributions
Take a guide but this is really interesting
Aug 2018
We visited this place with a history tour guide- a young woman from JDN - a youth organisation.
Santa Cruz cemetery has much history, but most famous is the massacre of 200 student attending the memorial service for student protester Sebastian Gomes in November 1991. The event brought worldwide attention to the violent occupation of the Indonesian army in East Timor.
Written August 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikeStan65
Logan City, Australia33 contributions
Intersting Cemetary
Aug 2018 • Friends
Interesting Cemetery, this was the place where the massacre, teens and people were buried.
It was an interesting place to visit if not confornting.
Written August 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenda27
Bathurst, Australia37 contributions
Colourful
Mar 2017 • Solo
A moving experience where hundreds of East Timorese were executed by the Indonesians whilst they were part of a funeral procession. Visit the grave of the young man whose funeral was being celebrated.
Written March 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PORhibido
Krungthep Mahanakorn831 contributions
Never Again ...
Sep 2013 • Family
On 12 November 1991, now commemorated as a public holiday in Timor-Leste, Indonesian troops slaughtered 250+ Timorese protestors plus one New Zealand student in cold blood. Although Indonesia described the incident as a misunderstanding, the massacre was videotaped and the footage was smuggled to and televised in Australia, whose government had for years supported Indonesian integrasi. Suddenly political elites in Canberra could no longer ignore the plight and calls for self-determination of their next-door neighbours. Even in Jakarta, pro-democracy groups began to openly discuss not just the Timor issue but also Suharto’s New Order as a whole.

Despite its powerful history, this colourful cemetery is nondescript without official guides available. Many young Timorese cannot recall the exact details of the event; if you choose to walk the grounds by yourself, you’re unlikely to learn much. In that case, you should visit the Xanana Gusmão Reading Room to watch films about one of Timor’s darkest days.
Written October 3, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CKF
CT2,201 contributions
Interesting historical stop
Feb 2020
Any tour of Dili will lead you to Santa Cruz Cemetery, where a horrible massacre of 250 young people occurred in 1991. The stone designs are quite colorful, with a variety of shapes and sizes, very different from the typical American cemetery. A must see during your visit to Dili.
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andre F
10 contributions
A touching and important site
May 2019 • Solo
The cemetery was the site of a brutal massacre some twenty years ago, an event that is still felt by many Timorese to this day and helped catalyze the fight for independence. Wander the tomb stones long enough and you're sure to see locals come by to light candles and maybe even sing a song or two in a relative's honor.
Written May 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Cemetery of Santa Cruz, Dili

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