Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tombstone Tuesday: Urns: Classic, shrouded, and heavily cloaked
In many cemeteries you will find stones with urns atop them. The urn is a classic Greek and Roman symbol of mourning. With the body viewed as a vessel of the soul, the urn holds the cremated remains so that the soul might ascend to Heaven. The ancient Romans used the urn as a repository for the ashes of the dead, and it was always shrouded out of respect. The urn is a very popular symbol of mourning in Victorian Cemeteries, and Mount Jerome is no exception; however, while it is fairly common to see a shrouded urn, some of the urns here are heavily cloaked rather than lightly shrouded.
*Click on photographs to view larger versions.