Gravely Speaking

MARGARET L. GAFF 1829 – 1916

JOHN H. GAFF 1820 — 1879

The two statues in this blog post found in the Spring Grove Cemetery at Cincinnati, Ohio, are atop rose-colored columns of soaring heights,  resting on square plinths.  They are stylistically similar, both dressed in classical robes, but made of different materials. They both are also representations of the allegorical figure of Hope.

Hope is most often portrayed as a standing woman, leaning against or holding an anchor.  In the example above, the allegorical figure of Hope, carved in a light gray granite, is holding the top of the anchor with one hand and clutches a wreath, the symbol of victory over death, in the other.

The anchor is an ancient Christian symbol that has been found in early catacomb burials.  The anchor was used by early Christians as a disguised cross.  The anchor also served as a symbol of Christ and his anchoring influence in the lives of Christians.  Just as an anchor does not let a moored boat drift, the anchoring influence of Christ does not allow the Christian life to drift.

The bronze statue below also holds the anchor with one hand, but with the other, she holds a sprig of roses, the symbol of romantic love.

IN MEMORY OF

JAMES C. C. HOLENSHADE

BORN MAY 12, 1826

DIED JAN. 9, 1876

AGED 47 YEARS 6 MONTHS

THANKS BE UNTO GOD WHO GIVETH US THE

VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

HANNAH AMELIA HOLENSHADE

BORN MAY 28, 1828

DIED SEPT. 18, 1892

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

JAMES

Vanamburgh

Died

Feb. 14 1876

Aged

78 yr’s 9 m’s 13 d’s

Side by side in the Pine Lake Cemetery at La Porte, Indiana, are two identical gravestones carved for a husband and a wife. The top of each of the white marble tablets display a curtain pulled back to reveal a pair of clasping hands and an American rose. The curtain represents the passage from one realm to another; the veil that exists between the Earthly realm and the Heavenly one.

The clasping hands represent holy matrimony.  This motif symbolizes the holy union between a man and a woman.  The cuff on the left side of the motif is slightly more elaborate and the hand is slender and feminine—it represents the wife.  The hand on the right side is the husband’s—the cuff is plain.

The single rose is an undeniable symbol of love.  The rose is in full bloom–likely representing the death an adult. The rose also has a religious meaning, differing by color.  The white rose symbolizes purity while the red rose represents martyrdom and the messianic hope that Christ will return.

HARRIET

Wife of

James Vanamburgh Sen.

Died Feb. 22. 1855

AE 56 y. 7 mo.

16 d’s.

Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Hillsdale, Illinois

Many images of St. Francis of Assisi depict the monk cloaked in a brown sack-cloth frock surrounded by animals—sheep, dogs, cats, bunnies, and even birds circling him. That image is so ingrained in us that we don’t think of the Saint as a person. Most people would never think of St. Francis as a young man, let alone as a playboy. In fact, we don’t think of such a thing in the 12^th Century, yet Francis was a good-looking, charming young man. He was considered a playboy in his time. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181, or thereabouts. His mother was a beautiful French woman and his father was a wealthy cloth merchant—born into a life of luxury. As such, he imbibed in wine and the epicurean delights of rich food. He celebrated life.

But that changed.

A war broke out between Assisi and Perugia. Francis enlisted to fight and donned battle armor. Many of his comrades were cut down and lay dead on the battlefield but Francis was captured and spared death. His captors could see by his armor and finery that he was wealthy and was held in prison for ransom. Negotiations dragged on for nearly a year before the payment was made and Francis was released and returned safely back to Assisi to his family. He had changed while suffering in prison—having had visions of God. Francis slowly began the process of breaking with his family and embracing a life of prayer and devotion to the Lord. He adopted Christ-like poverty and forsook his family’s wealth and riches, renouncing his inheritance, his family, and declaring that God was his only father.

St. Adalbert Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

Francis began preaching in a plain brown tunic. His charisma and devotion drew crowds to hear him preach. Some thought he was a madman while others were convinced that he had true visions of God. He attracted followers who became known as Franciscan friars. Francis preached in villages near and far—he even preached to the animals—which garnered him the epithet, “God’s Fool.” However, it is one of the reasons he is remembered for his love of animals and why he is often depicted surrounded by them.

But, he is also shown with a skull. Francis had failing health and often contemplated death. Sometimes to encourage his brethren to also contemplate death, he would put a skull on the breakfast table. He did not see death as an enemy of man, but a friend. In “The Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon,” Francis wrote, “Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Death, from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin!” The skull emphasized the ephemeral nature of life and that a life devoted to God would have victory over death.

Francis died on October 3, 1226, at the young age of 44, in Assisi. He was the first to have received the stigmata of Christ—marks resembling the wounds that Jesus Himself suffered when he was crucified—which he bore with strength and courage. Less than two years after his death, Francis was canonized as a saint on July 16, 1228.

St. Adalbert Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois