Tombstone ( gravestone , tombstone , tombstone ) - a cross , stone , sculpture or architectural structure installed on the grave to perpetuate the memory of the deceased .
Tombstones (or monuments) are usually made of natural hard rock ( marble , limestone [1] , granite , gabbro , labradorite , sandstone [2] , etc.). Often found in marble (granite) chips. Less commonly, a stainless steel monument is erected, sometimes just wooden crosses .
On the gravestone are usually written the name of the deceased , the date of birth and death, often written epitaph . Often a photograph is placed (either printed or embossed directly on the stone). Currently, computer engraving of portraits and drawings is practiced. The type of tombstone depends on many factors : the will of the deceased, religious and social traditions , the material situation of the family, etc.
The timing of the installation of the tombstone on the grave of the deceased also depends on many factors: religious traditions, financial situation of relatives.
In Russia, some categories of citizens receive compensation from the state for arranging a burial place (for example, veterans of the Great Patriotic War ).
Types of Tombstones
The most common types of tombstones are stela, plate and cross [3] [4] . But, depending on some factors, such as financial situation, etc., a tombstone can also serve as a statue (especially its upper part - a bust ), or a chapel .
The cross is placed on Christian graves. The type of cross depends on the branch of Christianity, which the deceased adhered to. It is widespread in Eastern Europe (in Western countries the body is buried under a stele), as well as during general and emergency burials; recently, often placed as a temporary tombstone. It is mainly made of wood (although there are also tombstones in the form of stone crosses) [5] .
The stele is the most common type of tombstone in the world. It is placed on the graves of all faiths, providing for burial in the ground. Steles can be of any size, color and design - from a flat plate to a cubic base, from a quadrangular to round. As a rule, in Catholic countries and in Israel, steles are made white, and in Orthodox and Protestant ones black. Muslims prefer steles of white or sand color.
The obelisk - a high stele, sharpening up - is placed mainly on mass graves. Obelisks are common and numerous. Installed mainly as monuments to Soviet soldiers.
A slab is also a common type of tombstone. It differs from a stele in that it lies on the grave, but does not stand on it. Plates are more common in Catholic and Protestant countries, although there are exceptions.
There are tombstones, sarcophagi, altars.
The statue is placed on the graves of famous people, military, wealthy. The most common form of the statue is a bust (head with chest, sometimes the upper half of the body as a whole). Statues are made of bronze, basalt or marble.
Illustrations
Tombstone in Kostroma
Old Tombstones in Kilkenny ( Ireland )
Tombstone in the form of a Celtic cross ( Scotland )
Armenian tombstone ( khachkar ), Nagorno-Karabakh , the end of the 12th century
Jewish gravestone in Tyumen (the deceased was a kohen )
See also
- Old Russian gravestones
- Acropolis
- Necropolis near the Kremlin wall
- Cemetery
- Catacombs
- Columbarium
- Mausoleum
- Cenotaph
Notes
- ↑ A group of anthropomorphic tombstones from the necropolis of Mirmekia - the topic of a scientific article on history and historical sciences, read the text of a research work in the electro…
- ↑ http://www.academia.edu/download/40889713/ Brest_ Oblast cemeteries.doc (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Gizieva Ksenia Yurievna. The principles of typology of grave constructions in urban cemeteries // Tomsk State University Journal. Tom. state un-that. Story. : article. - 2013. - No. 4 (24) .
- ↑ http://dspace.rsu.edu.ru/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/1034/Historical%20place.pdf?sequence=1
- ↑ Kolosova I.I., Medvedeva A.B. HISTORY OF FORMATION OF THE CULTURE OF BURIALS OF THE RUSSIAN STATE IN THE X - BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY (rus.) // BULLETIN OF THE TOMSK STATE ARCHITECTURAL AND CONSTRUCTION UNIVERSITY: article. - 2014. - No. 3 (44) .
Literature
- Sobolevsky N. Sculptural monuments and monuments in Moscow. Ch. 4: Memorials and tombstones. M., 1947.
Links
- Tombstone - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- Tombstone Community
- Tombstone as a historical document: regional aspect
- Tombstone Making Process