Santa Cruz cemetery and chapel.

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

Santa Cruz Cemetery


On 12 November 1991 Indonesian soldiers fired on a peaceful memorial procession for Sebastião Gomes heading from Motael Church to Santa Cruz Cemetery; Gomes was an independence supporter who was shot by Indonesian police. More than 250 civilians (mostly students) died. British journalist Max Stahl filmed the bloody attack; the smuggled footage was beamed around the world, empowering the nation's independence struggle.

Nearly every inch of the cemetery is occupied by elaborate, pasted-hued gravestones. Head to the Max Stahl archive to see footage of the attack.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Centro Nacional Chega!

0.63 MILES

Set in the buildings and cells of a Portuguese-era prison where resistance figures were interned by the Indonesian military, Chega! (chega means 'stop' or…

2. Palácio do Governo

0.77 MILES

The grand, white Palácio do Governo dominates the town centre. The grounds here occasionally play host to events, but they're usually just a fancy car…

4. Centro Audiovisual Max Stahl Timor-Leste

0.81 MILES

Opposite the Resistance Museum, this important archive preserves footage from the Indonesian occupation and Timorese independence struggle, including that…

5. Dili Waterfront

0.84 MILES

Watch kids kicking soccer balls around on the patches of sandy beach and runners sweating it out while you're strolling the decent walking path that runs…

6. Xanana Gusmão Reading Room

0.86 MILES

This complex houses memorabilia of Timor-Leste's first president, Xanana Gusmão, including the former presidential car (he opted for a cheap one at the…

7. Santa Cruz Massacre Memorial Monument

1.29 MILES

This sizeable monument opposite Motael Church marks where independence supporter Sebastião Gomes was shot by Indonesian forces on 28 October 1991. Built…