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Redefining the Cemetery Concept
By William Sutherland
At the advent of the 21st century, the cemetery concept
is being redefined, in which cemeteries are no longer
just repositories for the dead. Consequently, an
increasing number of cemeteries are transforming
themselves into multipurpose facilities in which
funerals, interment, and cremation are only among the
services they offer. The extension of hospitality
services to embrace tourism, photography, and passive
recreation (e.g. jogging, walking, reading, quiet
contemplation) and include weddings, baptisms, bar- and
bat-mitzvahs, private parties, business seminars,
lectures, and even floral shows, festivals, holiday
specials, and concerts can be attributed to a number of
factors:
1. Culture - the perception of death has changed from an
inevitable somber event into a celebration of life,
sharing of treasured memories and an opportunity to
acquaint oneself with long lost friends and relatives
(though not without tears).
2. Environs - the construction of bright comforting
climate-controlled mausoleums and creation of serene
cheerful urn gardens are challenging and supplanting the
paradigm that cemeteries need be desolate, melancholy
tombstone filled repositories. Many with their
picturesque landscapes comprised of "magnificent trees,
rolling hills, glacial lakes," ponds, gorgeous
fountains, and even wildlife and museums are "oases amid
the sprawl of modern development."[1]
3. Historical - with their interred, and array of
architecture and monuments, cemeteries provide a
connection to the past and documentary of the evolution
of human history, perceptions, and emotions as captured
by the changing architecture ranging from simple,
weathered 18th century tombstones, elaborate (sometimes
eroding) 19th century mausoleums and sculpted angels and
allegorical figures, 20th century rediscovery of
simplicity, and 21st century photographic and even
interactive (audio and video on demand) tombstones.
4. Financial - To ease its annual operating deficit of
$100,000+ Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, NY) held a daffodil
brunch in the Gardener Earl Memorial Chapel and
Crematorium known for its Siena marble walls and
spectacular Tiffany windows, and an outdoor Renaissance
Fair featuring knights in armor. Other cemeteries are
following the same model and are also building
state-of-the-art mausoleums to improve efficiency.
5. Many older cemeteries especially those nearing the
end of their active lives as they deplete their
available burial space need to reinvent themselves to
ensure continued financial viability.
Currently, several schools now even offer cemetery
studies and/or have field trips to cemeteries with the
objective of encouraging appreciation of the unique
historical perspective of a specific place. As a result,
Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, NY) among others offers
"opportunities for students studying Art History,
Historic Preservation, Landscape Architecture, Archival
Records, American History, American Culture and other
related fields."
According to one teacher, Cara Bafile, the annual class
trip to the cemetery has "become a looked forward to
tradition [in which some beg to go back]." School trips
to the cemetery, though are not new. Back in the early
1970s one of the author's school field trips was to a
local cemetery where every student was in awe of the
largest graves as we looked at the various markers for
style and age (e.g. what is the oldest tombstone, who
lived the longest, etc.).
Tourism:
Though tourism to cemeteries may seem morbid to some, in
the words of Jessica Ravitch, Cemeteries breathe life
into tourists (CNN 2008), it "can be inspirational [and]
life-affirming... [It can be] a history and architecture
lesson [because they are exceptional archives of human
and architectural history - thus The Chicago
Architecture Foundation offers guided tours of seven of
the City's cemeteries charging between $5 to $30 per
person], a cultural appreciation course, a genealogical
journey and a source of relaxation." Some even view it
as a service to those who cannot make the trip and a
reminder of the preciousness of life. "Many people find
great peace and solace in visiting cemeteries even if
their own relatives are not buried there," said Janet
Heywood, trustee for the Association for Gravestone
Studies in an article written by Benny Snyder, Tombstone
tours: Check out these famous cemeteries (USA Today, 10
October 2009).
Cemeteries also maintain a connection to the past and
even enhance the learning experience as students and
tourists stand next to the resting places of famous
persons who made significant contributions during their
lifetimes. It is as if they are right next to history.
Per Gary Laderman, Professor of Religion at Emory
University (Atlanta, GA) and author of Rest In Peace: A
Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in the
20th Century, it is a "chance for civic engagement to
overcome social isolation of historically significant
places."
Furthermore, even though cemetery tourism is viewed as
the new "in" thing or the latest trend, it is hardly a
new phenomenon. Many cemeteries such as Père Lachaise
(Paris, France) (established in 1804 by Napoleon
Bonaparte) where Maria Callas, Modigliani, Frédéric
Chopin, and Oscar Wilde, among others, are buried, and
Laurel Hill (Philadelphia, PA) have attracted throngs of
tourists for nearly two centuries. Green-Wood Cemetery
(Brooklyn, NY) at one point attracted more than 500,000
visitors per year during the mid-to-late 1800s.
Key attractions to tourists and photographers are
tombstones, architecture, sculptures (e.g. weeping
maidens, angels) mausoleums, and necropolises as well as
concerts, lectures, floral shows, and holiday specials
to name a few.
While large Victorian-era cemeteries such as Laurel Hill
and Green-Wood as well as New Orleans' Lafayette
Cemetery No. 1 and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which dates
back to 1789, (the latter two with their above ground
tombs), are top attractions, small cemeteries and
graveyards are not without their own treasures.
A quarterly newsletter, Tomb with a View that provides a
nationwide listing of cemetery tours is available for
cemetery-centric tourists. It can be subscribed to for
$15 per year from P.O. Box 24810, Lyndhurst, OH 44124.
Photography:
Cemetery photography, contrary to public perception, is
mainstream and popular. It is even profitable enough
that some companies specialize solely in cemetery
photography. Accordingly Northstar Gallery's website
reads they present "a collection of sensuous, fine art
photos... of cemetery and memorial art from around the
world [that explore and offer] poetry and commentary
[on] the historical role of memorial and cemetery art in
man's struggle with mortality, immortality, salvation,
death and transcendence."
Also, consistent with tourism, cemetery photography
(separate and distinct from post-mortem photography)
dates back to the medium's infancy. It was not long
after the daguerreotype was invented that photographers
captured images of cemeteries. Southworth & Hawes,
perhaps the most famous daguerreotypist duo captured no
less than seven images from Mount Auburn Cemetery
(Cambridge, MA). By the 1860s with the development of
stereoview, cemetery photography gained in popularity
with Green-Wood Cemetery and its scenic views being a
favorite among photographers.
Passive Recreation:
Passive recreational activities at cemeteries date back
more than a century. During the Victorian-era
(1837-1901), cemeteries were the main venue when not the
only venue of a locale to enjoy passive recreational
activities since many urban areas had no arboretums, no
parks, and no museums. At one point so many visitors
flocked to Laurel Hill that the cemetery had to issue
gate passes and restrict Sunday visits to family members
of the deceased.
Consistent with the continued popularity of cemeteries
for passive recreational activities, Michael O'Hearn in
Visit Mt. Auburn Cemetery writes, it "is a temporary
retreat from the urban bustle into a world of trees,
birds, [chipmunks], rabbits and statuary. While it
sounds unlikely, such places do exist... Mt. Auburn
possesses a varied landscape, ponds and glens, hills and
dells. The plantings and trees are so thick in places
that from above they look like a forest. The
monuments... show an array of styles and themes." With
its "winding roads and paths named after flowers and
trees" Mt. Auburn (founded in 1831 and the nation's
first landscaped garden cemetery) defies connotations of
the stereotypical graveyard.
In addition, a November 2009 letter from Executive
Director Brian Sahd of Friends of the Woodlawn Cemetery
(founded 1863 in the Bronx, NY) states, "Woodlawn is an
incredible resource for all of us... [It is much] more
than a place of rest... [it is one of New York's
greatest treasures - rich in irreplaceable architecture,
history, culture, and natural wonders... Its 400 acres
of rolling hills and monumental architecture invite you
to step into a world outside of time. Around every
corner is another amazing unexpected discovery. The
entire landscape literally is a visual feast of graceful
beauty. A Greek temple follows an obelisk, accompanied
by the delicate statue of entwined lovers. Azalea bushes
bloom under towering elms and graceful willows. Bird
songs accompany the play of cottontail rabbits, and
chipmunks. A stone bridge spans a peaceful lagoon,
surrounded by elegant reminders of New York City's
greatness."
Weddings:
Cemetery weddings expand and redefine the paradigm -
"...unto death do us part" since death need no longer
separate spouses who can be buried together at their
wedding site.
As with tourism, even though cemetery weddings are
gaining wider acceptance and being held at more venues,
they are not a new phenomenon. Since 1928 more than
60,000 weddings have been performed at Forest Lawn
Cemetery (Los Angeles, CA) alone.
When Lisa Rigby was requested to photograph Kate's and
Daniel's wedding at Mount Auburn Cemetery, she was, in
her words, "so excited." "Growing up, I spent so much
time in a beautiful, rambling, landscaped cemetery near
our house. For us kids the cemetery wasn't some spooky
forbidden place. It was where we rode bikes in the
summer and built snowmen in the winter. It was where we
walked my cocker spaniel, ran and played, and sat to
talk with friends for hours on end... I always thought
it was sad that so many people were afraid of the
cemetery," she wrote on August 21, 2009 in a blog entry
about Kate's and Daniel's wedding (all of which the
author can identify with having grown up with my brother
next to a small historic cemetery for the first seven
years of my life in which the cemetery was the setting
for many games of chase and hide-and-seek with the
neighborhood kids and a lot safer than the parking lot
next door).
At the same time, Kate wrote, "[We] were married at
Mount Auburn Cemetery... I know it may seem like an odd
choice for a wedding, but it's a beautiful place, our
favorite in Cambridge. When we walk through it, I find
it moving to think about all of the lives that are
commemorated there."
When Sheryl and Kurt married in 1990 at Wisconsin
Memorial Park's Chapel of Chimes with its church-like
setting, vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and
wall art depicting the Last Supper that serves as part
mausoleum and part museum, the groom thought it
"perfectly normal and pretty neat" while the bride
added, "our wedding was just like any other wedding"
according to an account written by William J. Lizdas in
Married in a cemetery? Some adore the idea (JS Online,
20 May 2009).
With increasing numbers of cemeteries opening their
gates to weddings, Spring Grove Cemetery's (Cincinnati,
OH) website reads, "Congratulations on your upcoming
nuptials... We offer a variety of unique locations for
you to hold your ceremony. The Norman Chapel... built in
1880 boasts several beautiful stained glass windows...
The Garden Courtyard... located in the front area of the
cemetery/arboretum... is planted with Hybrid Tea Roses,
as well as other colorful annual flowers."
Symbolism and Changing Perceptions:
Cemeteries are replete with symbolism (which provide a
means of dealing with mortality and providing a
semblance of control over death), carvings and epitaphs
(used to shed light on the deceased whom have been
reduced to mere names (when they still exist on
weathered tombstones) (e.g. "Here lies the remains of
Hannah, the Wife of Solomon Gedney, who dep: this life
April 1788 Aged 37 Yrs." and "Stop Reader Eer the
Passeth this stone nor regardless be told that near its
Bass (sic) lies deposited the remains of Mary Dixon,
Wife of John Dixon, a woman whose reputation was
spotless and whose life was spent in the practice of
virtue having by her unshaken fortitude and native
independence of Soul commanded the esteem of all who
knew her. She departed this life August 12th 1811 aged
53 years" etched on tombstones in Eleazor Gedney Burial
Ground, Mamaroneck, NY) and the values, hopes (e.g. "She
is not dead, the Memorial of our affection - But has gone
to realms above" etched on a tombstone for Paulina,
daughter of Charles and Sarah Ann Gedney who died on May
9, 1856 at 5 Years, 1 Month, and 11 Days also at Eleazor
Gedney Burial Ground, Mamaroneck, NY) and beliefs of
past eras), both of which arose with a desire to
remember the dead, and have changed with the ages as
social perceptions and ways of coping have evolved.
For example, the skull and bones that came to depict
death for their use on tombstones in 18th century
Spanish cemeteries were replaced by cherub heads by the
mid 1800s as the concept of death became socially less
terrifying and the weeping willow used to portray sorrow
and mourning during the 18th century to mid 19th century
were supplanted by other plants - especially lilies to
shed a more positive light on death while symbolizing
the resurrection and afterlife.
Common Victorian-era symbols that have gradually
disappeared from use based on changing social tenets and
demographics are lamenting and weeping women (since 19th
century norms precluded men from showing emotion;
consequently memorials utilizing men depicted them in a
prominent light), the use of Memorial and cherubs
utilized to invoke sadness at the loss of a Memorial, which
had been common during those times, and prevalence of
urn vessels (since an urn represented the body as a
container that held the soul) and sometimes, though to a
significantly lesser extent, other images draped with a
pall (clothe used to cover a coffin).
Other symbols found in Victorian-era cemeteries are
gates (symbol of the gates of Heaven), Celtic crosses
(symbol of the four directions on a compass and mind,
body, heart, and soul), birds in flight (symbol of the
soul borne aloft), mourning doves (symbol of lamentation
and even the Holy Spirit), wreathes (symbol of glory),
crosses (symbol of the resurrection), and Star of David
(symbol of redemption and of the Jewish people).
Angels are still used to "soften the finality of death"
and to provide comfort. Some sit at each side of a grave
with "heads bowed, as if guarding the bodies of departed
souls" to ease the gloom of subterranean tombs.[2]
Generally, today's symbolism no longer views death as an
inevitable finality in which our mortality is lamented
but rather as a new beginning because of the hope of the
afterlife to come. As a result, angels and other
allegorical figures often point skyward as a reminder
that the deceased lives in Heaven and tombstones often
portray biblical figures such as Jesus (the ultimate
symbol of resurrection), Mary, Joseph and biblical
scenes such as The Last Supper, the Pieta, and Jesus
praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Other graves are
marked by tombstones or ground markers that include
sculpted images, etched or embossed photographs, with
some high-tech tombstones consisting of even audio (of
the deceased speaking) or video (of important moments of
a deceased's life) played upon demand.
Mausolea:
Consistent with changing cemetery symbolism, mausolea
(which date back to 353 BC when Queen Artemisia II built
the world's most splendid tomb as a tribute to her late
husband, King Mausolus of Caria) have also evolved
through the ages from dark, gloomy, forbidden places
that held the remains of prominent families and a few
members of the public (when space was available) to
multi-story edifices built specifically for the public
with bright, ambient décor designed to appeal to the
living.
Prior to the advent of new mausolea that began in the
early 20th century, famous Greeks and Romans built their
own mausolea for centuries until the rise of
Christianity, in which only saints were permitted to
have monuments (typically churches) built at their
graves. However, commencing in the 19th century, wealthy
Americans revived the practice and even though such 19th
and early 20th century mausolea appeared impressive on
the outside, they often consisted of dark, narrow, tiny
spaces that in the words of Jack Naudi, New mausoleum
keep living in mind (Post-Dispatch, November 6, 2003)
were "cold and uninviting to the living."
However, with the new generation of mausolea (with built
in skylights, stained-glass windows, plush furniture,
and cheery brightness) that consist of family crypts,
single crypts, niches, and urn cabinets (the latter two
for cremated remains), above ground entombment, which
has been popular in Europe for centuries and a necessity
for New Orleans cemeteries because of their location
below sea level, is becoming increasingly popular in the
United States and parts of Asia. Thus these new mausolea
are adding to the cemetery experience because of their
appealing nature and profit margins because of their
efficiency of space.
Conclusion:
With the redefining of the cemetery concept aimed at
maximizing their appeal and services to the living,
cemeteries are no longer mere repositories for the dead.
Instead they are multipurpose facilities that are
connected to the communities they serve, bringing people
together beyond the constraints of death while promising
an unforgettable, comforting experience to all who
absorb their striking scenery, view their rich history
and architecture, research genealogy and changing social
perceptions through tourism, photography, and passive
recreation, and of course remember their beloved dead.
At the same time, they are providing serene, tasteful
resting places for the deceased that even the living can
look forward to when our inevitable day arrives.
20 Notable Cemeteries:
1. Arlington National Park - Arlington, VA, USA
2. Bonaventure Cemetery - Savannah, GA, USA
3. Crown Hill Cemetery - Indianapolis, IN, USA
4. Forest Lawn Cemetery - Los Angeles, CA, USA
5. Green-Wood Cemetery - Brooklyn, NY, USA
6. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 - New Orleans, LA, USA
7. Lake View Cemetery - Cleveland, OH, USA
8. Laurel Hill Cemetery - Philadelphia, USA
9. Montparnasse Cemetery - Paris, France
10. Monumental Cemetery - Milan, Italy
11. Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge, MA
12. Mount Hope Cemetery - Rochester, NY
13. Novodevichye Cemetery - Moscow, Russia
14. Oakland Cemetery - Atlanta, GA, USA
15. Old Granary Burying Ground - Boston, MA, USA
16. Père Lachaise Cemetery - Paris, France
17. Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park
Cemetery - Los Angeles, CA, USA
18. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 - New Orleans, LA, USA
19. Steglieno Cemetery - Genoa, Italy
20. Woodlawn Cemetery - Bronx, NY, USA
________
[1] Paul Lukas. Final Destinations Why Sightseers regard
cemetery tours as a worthwhile, ahem, undertaking. CNN
Money.com. 1 May 2000. 31 October 2009.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2000/05/01/278219/index.htm
[2] Ed Snyder. The Afterlife Referenced in Cemetery
Symbolism (Part 1). 22 May 2006. 5 November 2009.
http://www.stoneangels.net/?p=29
William Sutherland is a published poet and writer. He is
the author of three books, "Poetry, Prayers & Haiku"
(1999), "Russian Spring" (2003) and "Aaliyah Remembered:
Her Life & The Person behind the Mystique" (2005) and
has been published in poetry anthologies around the
world. He has been featured in "Who's Who in New Poets"
(1996), "The International Who's Who in Poetry" (2004),
and is a member of the "International Poetry Hall of
Fame." He is also a contributor to Wikipedia, the number
one online encyclopedia and has had an article featured
in "Genetic Disorders" Greenhaven Press (2009). |
