The shell on this tombstone in Lake View Cemetery intrigues me. A shell like this, specifically a scallop shell, is the pilgrimage symbol for Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where there is a shrine to the apostle St. James the Greater. The shrine holds bones that are reputed to be those of the saint, also the patron saint of Spain, and has been a pilgrimage site for Christians since the 9th century. Medieval pilgrims would wear a shell as a symbol of their journey, and such scallop shells are still available today. Did Irvin make this journey and treasure it in such a way that a representation of it was to be on his grave marker?
Archive for the ‘Symbolism’ Category
Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged cleveland, cross, lake view cemetery, occupation, ohio, pilgrimage, roman cross, scallop shell, sculpture, st. james, way of st. james on September 2, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The symbol on this tombstone is the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ – a flaming heart within a crown of thorns and topped with a cross. Some representations also include a halo of divine light, blood drops, or a lance wound like the one that Christ received in his side during the crucifixion. There is an associated Roman Catholic devotion.
In my other life, I am a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and one of my particular areas of interest is prayer beads. The rosary wasn’t standardized until the 1560s, but there were various forms of prayer beads used in Christian Europe for the previous few hundred years, and the rosary became the best known one and most associated with Roman Catholicism.
Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged cross, Crosses, department of veterans affairs, government marker, lake view cemetery, star of david, symbolism, veteran on January 28, 2013 | 1 Comment »
In a tiny little veterans section of Lake View Cemetery, I found a more diverse selection of the emblems of belief available for government headstones for veterans. All the available emblems are listed here.
Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged cincinnati, epitaphs, grave art, kirtland, kirtland historic north cemetery, ohio, sculpture, spring grove cemetery, star on December 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I find a lot of little five-pointed stars on cemetery monuments. Based on a little bit of research, five-pointed stars often are supposed to symbolize Christ, specifically the five wounds of Christ from the crucifixion.
Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged alpha and omega, buffalo, cleveland, forest lawn cemetery, grave art, lake view cemetery, new york, ohio, sculpture, symbolism on December 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Recently, I wrote about the Christian symbolism associated with the combination of the Greek letters alpha and omega. I’ve found even more photos that include this and wanted to share them with you.
The Holley family in Lake View Cemetery has them intertwined.
The Smiths of Forest Lawn Cemetery included the alpha and the omega symbols on their marker.