Gravely Speaking

On this plain rounded-top white marble tablet in the Springhill Cemetery at Nashville, Tennessee, the anchor cross is carved into the oval inset at the top of the gravestone. The anchor cross is an ancient Christian symbol that has been found in catacomb burials as early as the First Century and as late as the Third Century.  Romans persecuted early Christians—feeding them to the lions, forcing them battle to the death in the arenas, or burning them at the stake. The Christians who hid in the catacombs and practiced their religion in secret left messages of hope carved next to the anchor cross symbols.  In this way, the anchor was used by early Christians as a disguised cross.

Some Church historians believe that the anchor cross was adopted when Emperor Trajan had Saint Clement tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea for proselytizing and converting Romans to Christianity. Others believe it was a clever way to disguise the most Christian of symbols—the cross.

Over time, the anchor 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 anchor cross is also called the Mariner’s Cross. It is viewed as a symbol of hope. It can also represent a “fresh start”.

The door as a motif in funerary art symbolizes mystery.  The door is the pathway from the earthly realm to the next.  In all five examples from mausoleum doors, a mourning figure waits at the door.  In some cases her hand is close to door, almost as if she is hesitating to pass through.  In another case, the mourning figure holds a laurel wreath–the traditional symbol of victory over death.  In one case, she hold an Easter lily, the symbol of resurrection.  In Christianity, however, the door is usually viewed with hope, charity, and faith.  The next life will be better.

Montrose Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

This metal applique to a gravestone in the Montrose Cemetery at Chicago, Illinois, depicts St. George, one of the most popular saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church, in glorious victory over the dragon. In this case, the dragon represents Satan.

In the legend of St. George, a dragon situated himself at the head of the source of water for a village. Every day the villagers had to distract the dragon with an offering—sometimes a sheep, sometimes a maiden. The maiden was chosen by drawing lots. When the King’s daughter was chosen, the King begged for her release and substitution but to no avail. St. George appeared, proclaimed his Christianity by making the sign of the cross before he went to battle the dragon. When St. George heroically slayed the dragon, the villagers rejected Roman gods and professed their belief in Christ.

Saint George Killing the Dragon painted by Catalonian artist Bernat Martorell circa 1434

In early representations of this icon, there is often a maiden in the background watching the victorious St. George. In those paintings, the maiden represents the wife of Diocletian, who converted to Christianity, when her husband tortured and eventually had St. George beheaded for not renouncing Christianity and paying tribute to the Roman gods.

Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky

Tiffany and Company is well known for design and exquisite workmanship. That same workmanship can be seen in the memorial vase commissioned for Fanny Short Butler (1864-1930) in the Cave Hill Cemetery at Louisville, Kentucky.  Delicately carved Easter lilies adorn the sides of the vase.

The lily, as a funerary symbol, has many meanings including purity, innocence, virginity, heavenly bliss, majestic beauty, and Christ’s resurrection.  Christians believe that the trumpet-shaped blossoms announce the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter lily has long been associated with the Christian religion, commonly referred to as “White-Robed Apostles of Christ.” Early Christians believed that lilies sprouted where Jesus Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane.

White has typically been a color associated with virtues of purity and innocence.  Often the lily can be found on the grave of a child, the epitome of purity and innocence.

The white lily is also associated with virginity and marriage, in particular relationship to women.  On one hand, the lily represents virginity and innocence, which is an appropriate symbol for a young unmarried woman.  On the other hand, it is symbolic of majestic beauty and marriage, which makes it an appropriate symbol for all married women regardless of their age.

Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois

ELLEN MERRILL CUMMINGS

JUNE 14 1842 – July 1 1924

EDMUND AUGUSTUS CUMMINGS

NOV 29 1842 – Aug 23 1922

Started as a stationery and fancy goods store in New York City in 1837, Tiffany’s became known for creating high-end silverware, glassware, and, of course, jewelry. It became the premier purveyor of that special gift that comes in a light blue box often given on bended knee.

But Tiffany’s also created funerary monuments. One example of their work can be found in the Forest Home Cemetery at Forest Park, Illinois. The commission was created for Edmund and Ellen Cummings. Edmund Cummings served in the Civil War, serving under General Ulysses Grant and General William Tecumseh Sherman. After the war Cummings moved to Chicago where he founded a highly successful real estate company. In 1889, he and his brother founded an electric streetcar line, the Cicero & Proviso Street Railway Company.

The bas-relief angel carved into the soaring Celtic cross marks the graves of Edmund Cummings and his wife, Ellen. The monument is a testament to Edmund’s success as a Chicago businessman. This Art Deco design with the angel standing on a wheel may be a reference to Ezekiel’s vision described in the Bible:

The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.” (Ezekiel 1:15 – 16)

And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub . . . (Ezekiel 10:9)