No, that’s not the Cathedral at Notre Dame, but it is a full-scale replica of the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the Loire Valley, France. The Belmont Mausoleum in the Bronx’ famous Woodlawn Cemetery duplicates the chapel in France that was designed by Leonardo da Vinci and is his final resting place.

Mr. O.H.P. Belmont was a wealthy financier and founded the Belmont Racetrack. His wife, Alva Vanderbilt (her first husband was a Vanderbilt) Belmont, dedicated her life and much of her fortune to woman’s suffrage.

The arched doorway is typical Flamboyant Gothic. The tympanum has sculpture of the Madonna and child, flanked by the King of France and the Duchess of Burgundy.

This detail of the lintel illustrates the story of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters, and his epiphany. Note the stag in the center with the cross in his horns. Great stuff.

And what’s a Gothic chapel without gargoyles?

And there are dozens of grand mausolea in Woodlawn, each with its own family history and architectural richness and significance.

• Bronx,
• Woodlawn