What do gravestones symbolize

The dove also means purity and peace. A dove with a cross depicted on the beak symbolizes the Holy Ghost. This is just a fraction of what other symbolic imagery is out there.

Anything can be carved in stone, but having a meaning to it makes it all the more memorable. I had no idea that a book on a headstone is used to represent knowledge and is usually used for writers.

My late brother always enjoyed keeping a journal next to his bed so that he could write down ideas in the middle of the night, and I would like people to remember him for his intellectual and creative personality. Maybe I should find a service that can help me engrave something meaningful on his headstone. Your email address will not be published. Though it may seem surprising, the popularity of angelic figures grew from a number of sources.

For one, the growing popularity of Christian consolation literature helped to solidify the cultural potency of angels in the afterlife. From another angle entirely, the adoption of angelic and female figures was also a reaction to the growing popularity of Classical and Egyptian styles, which many Americans viewed with skepticism on account of their historically pagan associations.

In early America, home funerals were a common practice. In particular, visitation was often held in the front parlor followed by a procession to the church and cemetery. In this time, when most families typically cared for their own dead and bodies were laid to rest in the parlor, it was often customary to adorn the room with black, as a sign of loss and morning. Draperies, synonymously referred to as curtains, veils, or palls, were often used to decorate the room for those past.

Although typically black, these draperies were much more than a simple shroud or a mere cloth. During the Victorian era, when public cemeteries evolved and people began giving importance to gravestones as a means to memorialize the dead, the design and symbolism of tombstones became much more elaborate.

This idea of draping, originally associated with parlor room visitations, thus extended to the craftsmanship of gravestones. After the body is buried, the carved draperies serve as a lasting sign of mourning and grief, similar to the physical draperies left to embellish the parlor room after the body was taken out. Often associated with the covering of obelisks and urns, draperies serve as a lasting reminder of those who past.

Their beauty and intricacies serve to characterize the beauty of life, while their lasting presence and usage as a veil serve to symbolize both mourning and mortality.

IAGenWeb Project, Everlife Memorials, The Funeral Source, For centuries, bereaved loved ones have used flowers to decorate the graves of the deceased. While many people today choose flowers for their natural aesthetic, traditional practices often attributed with a much deeper symbolic significance to use of floral imagery, and many felt compelled to immortalized these natural symbols in stone, preserving them for generations to come.

Variations of floral symbolism are abundant in Oconee Hill Cemetery, and headstones often include intricate sculptural work depicting plants such as ivy, lilies, and palm fronds. Prominently displayed on numerous headstones throughout the cemetery, each of these examples is heavily laden with nineteenth century symbolic associations.

Carved as though it is growing around and clinging to the headstone, images of ivy suggest an eternal embrace, immortalized in stone. An important symbolic animal in Christianity representing the Holy Spirit. The white dove is referred to in the story of baptism of Christi. Judaism recognizes the dove as a symbol of peace. In Christianity, depicts sin and worldly pleasures, or may represent resurrection.

For the Chinese, the dragon is an emblem of Imperial Power, which brought the universe into its thrall. It also stands for the Universe itself, a chaotic force which none of us can truly master. If being depicted by St. George, depicts triumph over sin. In the days when the body lay in state in the parlor, it was the custom to cover everything in black.

Draperies, with their fancy frills and tassels, are more elaborate than a simple shroud. They allow the expression of mourning to linger long after the body has been taken out the front door and the accoutrements have been stowed for the next death in the family. Curtains can also set the stage. Parted, they reveal a telling excerpt. What is important in such displays is the main actor or central object of the stone.

Eye of God in the Trinity, all seeing, all knowing. During the Renaissance period in Europe it was common to illustrate the Eye of God surrounded by a triangle the Holy Trinity. The eye within the triangle, surrounded by a circle and radiating rays of light is used to symbolize the holiness of the true God. Friendship, Love, and Truth. This organization takes cares of widows and orphans, and in general does good works. The use of garlands, wreaths and festoons dates back to ancient Greek times and it was adopted into the Christian religion as a symbol of the victory of the redemption.

Ancient symbol of victory, memory, passed to eternal life. Ivy Wreath- symbolic of gaiety, joviality. The wreath and festoon together symbolize memory. Laurel wreath- usually associated with someone who has attained distinction in the arts, literature, athletics or the military. The garlands were hung in the church after the funeral and allowed to decay.

Then the pieces would be buried in the graveyard. Two hands praying - connote devotion. Two hands palms facing the viewer, with the four fingers on each hand positioned as two sets of two fingers — a Jewish symbol indicating the deceased was a Cohen, a Temple Priest. Associated with David in the Old Testament; symbol of St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. Symbolic of worship in Heaven, hope.

Praise to God. Love, mortality, love of God, courage and intelligence. Encircled with thorns - the suffering of Christ. Flaming- signifies extreme religious fervor. Courage or generosity. An attribute of St. George, St. Martin, St. Maurice, and St. Victor, all of whom represented in Christian art on horseback. Swiftness of time; short life. Its use associated with personified figures of Death and Father Time comes out of a long tradition of mortuary symbolism.

Rarely used alone; usually appeared along with hearts, stars, leaves, and sacred flowering vines. On its side- that time has stopped for the deceased. Winged- time and its swift flight. Because it stays green forever, it has long been symbolic of immortality; eternal life. Also may signify friendship. Keys stand for spiritual knowledge or, if held in the hands of an angel or saint, the means to enter heaven. The use of the lamb in religious art pre-dates Christianity and appears to have been used first by the Egyptians.

It signifies purity and innocence. Innocence, purity, and resurrection. The use of lilies at funerals symbolizes the restored innocence of the soul at death. Symbolizes the power of God and guards the tomb against evil spirits. The lion also recalls the courage and determination of the souls which they guard, they manifest the spirit of the departed.

Seven-branched candlestick that is a Jewish symbol for divine presence of God. The seven branches of the candlestick represent the seven channels of the spiritual self-expression. Resurrection, mourning, youth, farewell, brevity of life, departure, mortality; beginning of life.

The oak tree was the tree of life in pre-Christian times. The Druids worshipped the oak. The elements of the passion of Christ: the lacy crown-the crown of thorns; the five stamens-the five wounds; the ten petals- the ten faithful apostles.

This is a five-pointed, star-shaped figure made by extending the sides of a regular pentagon until they meet. This figure pre-dates Christianity and was first known to be used by Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher. Later, in the Middle Ages, the pentagram was used by magicians and sorcerers. It was believed that the pentagram offered protection against evil.

Christianity adopted the figure and the symbolism to suggest the five wounds suffered by Christ on the cross. It is interesting to note that the pentagram is used by both Christianity and Wicca witchcraft.

It was supposed that a pyramid-shaped tombstone prevented the devil from reclining on a grave. The deceased died in the prime of life.

Rosebuds, joining- strong bond between two people e. Wreath of rose- Beauty and virtue rewarded. Symbol of life and time. Both ends rolled up indicate a life that is unfolding like a scroll of uncertain length and the past and future hidden. Often held by a hand representing life being recorded by angels. The scroll can also suggest honor and commemoration. The use of shell in burials is pre-Christian in practice and pre-dates even Egyptian burial practices. Shell is symbolic of fertility, resurrection and pilgrimage.

Shell, small stones, and coins are the traditional objects left at grave sites. There are several meanings given to this act. It may be a symbolic referral to the ancient custom of burying the dead under a cairn of rocks to protect the body from scavenging animals, or a reminder that the individual is not forgotten.

A symbol of birth and resurrection, a traditional symbol of the Puritans. While some sources state that the following meanings are not uniformly intended by the monument craftsman, other sources state that if the horse has both front hoofs in the air, the person died in battle.

If one hoof is raised, the person died as a result of wounds; if the horse has all four hoofs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. It represents the earth and earthly existence. Some monuments have a cube or square inverted to point the corners downward and upward.

This illustrates earthly existence and the directions of earth and heaven. Five-pointed star- Symbolic of the life of Christ and may also represent the five wounds of Christ.

Five-pointed pentagram star- This star is drawn with one stroke of the pen. Its exact origin is unknown, and its meaning has changed throughout the ages. Today the symbol is a favorite among graffiti artists and so-called demonology practitioners. Like the pentagon, it is believed to have protective powers against evil. In Wicca beliefs, it represents protection against demons and a symbol of safety.

The ancient Babylonians used the symbol as a magic charm. The five-pointed pentagram star represents the five senses. In Judaism, it represents the five mosaic books. This symbol has also been adopted by Masonic organizations. The star is actually comprised of two triangles. It signifies divine protection as epitomized by the alchemistic signs for fire and water which are an upward and downward apexed triangle. The star can be traced back to ancient times, used by several Asia Minor cultures, as well as some Greek city states.

For Judaism, the Star of David came into widespread use at the beginning of the 20th century. Theodore Hertzel, a Jewish activist, adopted the symbol in his writings promoting Palestine as a Jewish homeland. Exact origin is unknown but it is considered one of the oldest and widespread symbols used.

To the Chinese, the swastika had two forms symbolizing the male and female; clock-wise and counter-clockwise. A military career. Broken sword- life cut short. Crossed swords- life lost in battle. In Christianity, the equilateral triangle is the symbol of the Trinity.

Other geometric shapes representing the Holy Trinity are the trefoil, the triquetra, the circle within the triangle, the triangle in the circle and the triquetra and circle. To the ancient Egyptians, the triangle was an emblem of Godhead; to the Pythagoreans, it symbolized wisdom. Another use of the triangle is in the symbol of the eye Eye of God surrounded by a triangle. Greek symbol of mourning, the body as a vessel of the soul, originating as repository for the ashes of the dead in ancient times — a popular symbol of mourning.

Resurrection, bread and wine Christian , fertility. Convent bakers use wheat flour to make communion wafers, making it a holy plant, of sorts, fit to grace the tombstone of a priest.

A symbol of the first Egyptian sun god, Re. Original drawing accompanied Rev. Common motif on white bronze monuments and Masonic grave memorials. See all your Headstones choices. Need Help? Give Us a Call! My Account. Urns View All Cremation Urns. Discount Urns. Marble Urns. Bronze Urns. Companion Urns. Wood Urns. Religious Urns.

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