Sooner or later, each person is faced with the sad need to arrange the burial of their deceased relatives or friends. Of course, everyone, without exception, wants the burial places of their loved ones not only to look dignified and aesthetically pleasing, but also to be durable, not requiring careful care and annual decorative restoration.
Many people remember how in the past century families gathered on Easter graveyards, carrying cans of paint, brushes and much more. This was due to the need to put in order tombstones and grave fences made of iron or wood.
How long have burials been made out with granite and a cross?
Crosses from granite to the grave, photos of which are found in the catalogs of services for the design of the last shelters in all funeral agencies, without exception, did not appear today. The tradition of decorating graves with granite is not one hundred years old. To be convinced of this, it is enough to visit any of the cemeteries where pre-revolutionary burials have been preserved.
The Orthodox cross from granite to the grave was preferred by representatives of the merchants. Tombstones from this stone with crosses could look differently. These were large “cast” monuments with commemorative inscriptions telling about exactly who was buried in this place and listing the merits of the deceased or a characteristic of his personality.
There were figures, mostly angels. There were graves on old graveyards decorated with granite sarcophagi. However, a cross was installed on a grave made of granite or always applied.
How was the cross located on the granite gravestone?
The location of the cross is not prescribed by any canons or rules. In ancient times, crucifixion was present on all varieties of monuments, but it was far from always striking.
It could be a small cross crowning a monument. In the event that the last refuge of a person was a large massive rectangular monument, most resembling a sarcophagus, a cross was placed on it above the commemorative inscription or under this text. If the monument was a sculpture, for example, of a grieving angel, then the crucifix was an element of composition. As a rule, the figure of an angel either leaned over him or held a crucifix.
How are burials decorated with crosses now?
The basic principles of the design of the last shelters of people on this earth have not changed. These are still sculptural compositions, monuments or the complete “sheathing” of the burial site. However, the appearance of granite tombstones differs significantly from those that were established in antiquity by representatives of the merchant classes.
Modern stone monuments to the grave look completely different. A granite cross, for example, cannot be found in old cemeteries. We are talking about monuments, which are just a crucifix, and not something else. Huge granite crosses at modern graves are not uncommon. Moreover, there are a lot of options for their execution - from the traditional Orthodox to a simple cross, which is not a religious symbol.
Of course, there are also design options in which crosses are only an element of the overall composition. However, in this case, the monuments of today do not look like in the old days. Crosses are not always the same as can be seen in the church, and their sizes are many times larger than on ancient graves. In general, we can say that in our days there is a certain “globalism” in the design of the burial with crosses, which does not always look worthy and aesthetically pleasing. Such tombstones are rather perceived as pathos. Another know-how of our days is granite monuments with a portrait of the deceased painted on stone.
Is it necessary to establish a cross on a tombstone?
By setting up a cross on a grave made of granite, people get an almost eternal monument that does not need care or decorative repairs. Such a tombstone does not need to be tinted, straightened. That is, regardless of whether relatives of the deceased are caring for the grave or not, the burial looks neat.
However, to achieve all these goals, it is not at all necessary to establish a cross on the grave. Other varieties of monuments are also made from granite. Of course, the cross is the most traditional and generally accepted type of registration of the burial, but far from the only one.
As a rule, the last dwellings of people who believe in God during their lifetimes are decorated with crosses. In this case, you need to carefully choose the option of the monument, since not every cross offered in the catalogs of workshops at funeral agencies is an Orthodox symbol. But even when decorating the grave of a believer, one can always follow the example of the merchants, that is, put a crucifix on the monument, rather than establish a stone cross over the burial.
There are no traditions or customs requiring the use of the symbol of the crucifix in the design of the last refuge of man.
What does the cross over the burial mean?
Most of our contemporaries are convinced that by placing a cross on a grave made of granite or other material, they emphasize the deceased's belonging to the Christian faith. However, this is not quite true.
Of course, the crucifix drawn on the monument or rising above the last refuge of a man speaks of his faith in Christ. But only if the church symbol is used. A simple intersection of two granite straight lines does not symbolize anything, like monuments in Celtic style.
Moreover, this symbol itself does not have an initially good meaning. The cross arose much earlier than Jesus was born. Even during the earthly life of Christ, he was a tool for executions for various crimes, just like a gallows, a chopping block or an electric chair. In ancient times, crosses were placed over the graves of executed criminals. Therefore, the use of this symbol should be treated with caution and attention, even if you install it over the grave of a loved one, then only in a form that repeats the church.
