The cemetery was established in 1727, a year after the completion of the church. Previously, the cemetery of the Paltamo parish was located on the shore of Lake Oulu. Nearest to the church are the graves of the clergy and the cemetery of heroes. The artist Toivo Gideon Tuhkanen, relatives of the poet Eino Leino and the writer Heikki Meriläinen are buried along the main corridor. Many of the old monuments in the large area are no longer visible.