crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos: Romanian cemetery humours death through tombstone art

In Sapanta, Romania, over 1,000 ornate crosses tell dark but humorous tales of death. The 'Merry Cemetery' uses limericks, pictures and illustrations of those who died in the little town, turning them into grave art.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/10

Death isn’t always tragic, at least not in this Romanian cemetery, where the dead beguile visitors with tales of their lives. The Merry Cemetery in the northwestern village of Sapanta is a collection of more than 1,000 elaborate wooden Orthodox crosses etched with colourful epitaphs and childlike drawings. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

Death isn’t always tragic, at least not in this Romanian cemetery, where the dead beguile visitors with tales of their lives. The Merry Cemetery in the northwestern village of Sapanta is a collection of more than 1,000 elaborate wooden Orthodox crosses etched with colourful epitaphs and childlike drawings. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

2/10

In 1935, local wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras came up with the idea of engraving epitaphs and simple drawings onto crosses, and went on to craft a total of 700 crosses until his death in 1977. His grave says he was the creator of the Merry Cemetery. Here is a naive representation of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (top center), and the Communist party leadership sculpted by Patras, hanging on the wall of his memorial house, in Sapanta. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

In 1935, local wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras came up with the idea of engraving epitaphs and simple drawings onto crosses, and went on to craft a total of 700 crosses until his death in 1977. His grave says he was the creator of the Merry Cemetery. Here is a naive representation of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (top center), and the Communist party leadership sculpted by Patras, hanging on the wall of his memorial house, in Sapanta. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

3/10

At the entrance of Romania’s Merry Cemetery, a cross bears a naive depiction of death along with a text that reads ‘Take a good look Christian, I am stronger than you, I am the ugly death, I'll carry you away one by one.’ (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

At the entrance of Romania’s Merry Cemetery, a cross bears a naive depiction of death along with a text that reads ‘Take a good look Christian, I am stronger than you, I am the ugly death, I'll carry you away one by one.’ (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

4/10

Some people consider the place less a graveyard and more an outdoor museum, looking at the cartoon-like drawings and limericks written in a quirky language used by locals and its rows of intricately carved blue, yellow, green and red crosses. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

Some people consider the place less a graveyard and more an outdoor museum, looking at the cartoon-like drawings and limericks written in a quirky language used by locals and its rows of intricately carved blue, yellow, green and red crosses. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

5/10

‘I’ve seen what touches (tourists). This cemetery is not just a cemetery. People realized that this indeed is a place where you can laugh at death itself,’ said sculptor Dumitru Pop Tincu, 62, who has crafted many of the crosses. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

‘I’ve seen what touches (tourists). This cemetery is not just a cemetery. People realized that this indeed is a place where you can laugh at death itself,’ said sculptor Dumitru Pop Tincu, 62, who has crafted many of the crosses. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

6/10

A woman who sings in the choir, wearing a traditional outfit, arrives for the Sunday religious service at the church in the Merry Cemetery. Sculptor, Tincu mused about the philosophy behind the cemetery,‘These texts and images contain elements that remind you of what life is about,’ he said. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

A woman who sings in the choir, wearing a traditional outfit, arrives for the Sunday religious service at the church in the Merry Cemetery. Sculptor, Tincu mused about the philosophy behind the cemetery,‘These texts and images contain elements that remind you of what life is about,’ he said. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

7/10

The story of a three-year-old child who was run over by a car is depicted on her cross in the Merry Cemetery. Another tells the tale of a 38-year-old man who had a ‘merciless death’ that snatched him from his wife and two daughters. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

The story of a three-year-old child who was run over by a car is depicted on her cross in the Merry Cemetery. Another tells the tale of a 38-year-old man who had a ‘merciless death’ that snatched him from his wife and two daughters. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

8/10

An epitaph for a truck driver warns the living about the perils of working too hard. ‘I used to work to be wealthy and I had to leave everything behind. I wish people would stop and read this on my cross,’ it reads. ‘Here’s what happened: the truck rolled over and the dirt smothered me. I died in Barcelona in 2002 when I was 42 years old.’ (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

An epitaph for a truck driver warns the living about the perils of working too hard. ‘I used to work to be wealthy and I had to leave everything behind. I wish people would stop and read this on my cross,’ it reads. ‘Here’s what happened: the truck rolled over and the dirt smothered me. I died in Barcelona in 2002 when I was 42 years old.’ (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

9/10

There are few secrets in this small community and whatever flaws someone had when they were alive are turned into ‘grave art’ when they die. This darkly humorous and matter-of-fact approach, rooted in the traditional peasant culture of the region intrigues visitors. Despite its remote location some 600 kilometers (360 miles) northwest of the Romanian capital Bucharest, it’s one of the country’s top tourist attractions. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

There are few secrets in this small community and whatever flaws someone had when they were alive are turned into ‘grave art’ when they die. This darkly humorous and matter-of-fact approach, rooted in the traditional peasant culture of the region intrigues visitors. Despite its remote location some 600 kilometers (360 miles) northwest of the Romanian capital Bucharest, it’s one of the country’s top tourist attractions. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

10/10

Some of the crosses resemble modern-day morality tales. These crosses costs between 2,000 and 5,000 lei (Rs.33,524 to Rs.83,811 approx) and can take weeks to create. While some them are amusing, others are simply sad. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Updated on Sep 21, 2017 1:25 PM

Some of the crosses resemble modern-day morality tales. These crosses costs between 2,000 and 5,000 lei (Rs.33,524 to Rs.83,811 approx) and can take weeks to create. While some them are amusing, others are simply sad. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos: Romanian Cemetery Humours Death Through Tombstone Art