Gravestone art in Mt Calvary Cemetery

Recently this blog had a post on tombstone art in Weston Cemetery. I thought it would be interesting to compare the art shown there to what is in Mount Calvary Cemetery. The art is much different, although there is some convergence on recent gravestones. There are at least two reasons for the differences. First, Weston has older burials and much of the iconography on the early graves was disappearing as the 20th century approached.  Second, Catholics have their own set of iconography.

There are few crosses on older graves in Weston but they are everywhere in Mount Calvary. There are also some that have the rosary, a distinctive Catholic devotion. 

Below is another cross with a rosary.

Praying hands are not particularly Catholic, but they are on a more recent marker and the addition of the cross makes the image seem more Catholic.

The IHS is common in Catholic art. It represents the first three letters of the word "Jesus" in Greek. The lily has several meanings, including innocence and purity, but I suspect on this stone it is meant to symbolize resurrection.

Ivy is not unique to Catholic grave markers. It can be found as often in Weston as in Mount Calvary. It often is used to represent immortality.

I was surprised to learn that the woman clinging to the cross is often found in Southern cemeteries, where it is supposed to symbolize faith. This is a marker from 1904 for a young man.

The vessel or urn with a flame is also in many non-Catholic cemeteries. The flame sometimes represents eternity.

This seems to be a picture of a stained glass window. I think the cross is the symbolic element in this unusual design.

The Agony in the Garden scene on this grave is one of the more elaborate decorations in Mount Calvary.

The wreath or garland (which I think this is) is a symbol of victory or passage to eternal life.

I had not found any canna lilies in Weston Cemetery, so I was surprised to find this image in Mount Calvary. They have several symbolic meanings, including resurrection and rebirth.

There are many urns in Weston Cemetery, but there they are usually the top piece of the the marker, not art on the marker. The urn is a funeral urn and is supposed to represent immorality.

The dove in this decoration probably represents the Holy Spirit, usually represented as a dove in Christian art.

Grapes and grape leaves can be a symbol of Christian faith.

At one time most grave art was hand carved. That was almost entirely replaced with sandblasting with a stencil.  A recent innovation is to use lasers that can copy photographs onto grave markers. Laser etching is becoming common on recent markers, including those in Weston and Mount Calvary Cemeteries. 

Laser etching or engraving is changing tombstone art. Symbolism is being replaced with images personal to the life of the deceased.

The picture below has me stumped. I cannot figure out what the symbolism is supposed to be in this image. Did the deceased work on the railroad?

;-)

(This past weekend I received a comment on an old post that reminded me that ten years ago I had written about symbolism in graveyard art.  See my post about North Star Cemetery in 2010.)