Queen of Heaven Cemetery, cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, United States
Queen of Heaven Cemetery is a large Roman Catholic burial ground in Hillside, Illinois, featuring well-kept lawns and broad paths that wind between hundreds of grave sites. The grounds include a mausoleum in the northeast corner with stained glass windows and artwork in marble, bronze, and mosaic tiles created by skilled artisans from various backgrounds.
The cemetery opened in 1947 and received a special blessing to mark its beginning. In 1965, its operations merged with the nearby Mount Carmel Cemetery to combine their services and better serve families in the area.
The cemetery's name reflects its role within the Roman Catholic community that chooses it for final rest. Visitors observe flowers, candles, and personal mementos left at graves, showing how families maintain connections with those they remember through ongoing acts of care and remembrance.
The cemetery is easily reached from major roads and is near the Eisenhower Expressway, making it accessible from different parts of the Chicago area. Paved pathways allow visitors to walk or use a wheelchair comfortably, and benches are placed throughout for sitting and reflecting.
The cemetery holds a mausoleum that had reached about three-quarters of its capacity by 2009 and can hold more than 33,000 people in crypts and niches. The grounds also contain memorial shrines like the Shrine of the Holy Innocents, which remembers children who died in the Our Lady of the Angels School fire in 1958.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
