Explore the symbols that are most often present at the cemeteries of Europe and learn about their meanings and interpretations.
Symbols hide in themselves stories of people, cultural traditions and ancient beliefs. They can be obvious, exposed and easy to understand. Or invisible, mysterious, enigmatic and complex.
Until now, partners of the project Symbols found over 180 symbols present at European cemeteries and classified them into 7 basic categories: animals, crosses, angels, plants and vegetations, constructions, human and others.
Animals
Symbols of animals are often associated with the souls of people and thinking about their re-forms. We can distinguish real and mythological animals, among which we find dragons, unicorns, mixed human-animal species and so on.
Crosses
Cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and has been used by many religions. It can symbolize religious interpretation of life or the military status of the deceased. At European cemeteries we can find Latin (Christian), Greek, Celtic, Orthodox, Maltese, papal cross and many others.
Angels
In addition to crosses, angels are the most frequently present symbols at cemeteries in Europe. They are messengers between God and man, accompanying the deads’ souls in Heaven. Their different postures represent different attitudes towards the deceased.
Human
The representations of people on the grave (often associated with other objects and symbols) can tell as lot of details about the deceised life, his relationships with family and friends and his role in society, but for their interpretation we usually need a prior understanding of life stories of the deceased.
Plants and vegetations
Apparently decorative elements in form of various plants and vegetation often have a clear symbolic meaning. They can be associated with other symbols or intentionally added to the monument for their role in the life of the deceased.
Constructions
Columns, arches, mausoleums, chapels and other structures are often present in the graves of deceased, who were prominent members of the society or part of an important family. They can illustrate the passage to another life, winning in life, reunion with loved ones in heaven and so on.
Others
Hourglasses, musical symbols, letters, numbers, geometric and astrological symbols are usually linked to occupations of the deceased or important events in their lives. They are often found in combination with other symbols and elements of the monuments themselves.
The complete collection of symbols with their explanations can be found on the project website: symbolsproject.eu.