The circle is an ancient symbol of eternity, often found on Christian graves together with a cross. The circle has no beginning or end and may also symbolise resurrection.
ANCHOR - a symbol of hope, or the deceased was a seaman. ANGEL - a guide to Heaven. ARCH - symbolizing a triumphant entry into Heaven or victory over death. ARROW - symbolizing mortality or martyrdom. BEEHIVE - symbol of abundance in the Promised Land or piety or domestic virtue or faith.
The encircling pattern at the center of the cross serves as a reminder of the never-ending love of Christ. Before its use a grave marker, the Celtic Cross commonly denoted a place of spiritual significance or a boundary. Celtic Crosses used in this manner are known as the Irish High Cross.
Chalice. Sacraments; The chalice often appears in association with a white circle representing the consecrated Eucharist. The two items combine to signify the Catholic rite of Holy Communion. The headstones of priests often bear these symbols.
Circle. The circle is an ancient symbol of eternity, often found on Christian graves together with a cross. The circle has no beginning or end and may also symbolise resurrection.
Obelisks. Obelisks became popular gravestone motifs in 19th-century Britain due to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1801 and the English occupation of Egypt. To ancient Egyptians, obelisks were petrified rays of sunlight where the sun god Ra lived. In graveyards they symbolise ancient godliness, greatness.
The ankh symbol—sometimes referred to as the key of life or the key of the nile—is representative of eternal life in Ancient Egypt. Created by Africans long ago, the ankh is said to be the first--or original--cross.
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages.
The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used in Egyptian art and writing to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself.
The practice of leaving flowers at graves began thousands of years ago when the ancient Greeks would honor fallen warriors. They believed that if the flowers rooted into the ground and grew from the gravesite, it was a sign that the fallen had found peace.
Butterfly A butterfly symbol may represent rebirth, resurrection, or the natural cycle between birth and death. It may represent the soul and may be found on children's headstones. Also: The soul. It is symbolic of the resurrection of Christ.
The most common use for Catholic headstones today reflects how loved ones want their legacy remembered, so you might find roosters near someone who was known for being friendly like Saint Francis while another may feature flowers because she always had such kindness around her home with children frolicking happily ...
To Symbolize Their Visit
Many people leave stones on a loved one's grave or memorial to mark their visit. The symbol of the stone can bring comfort to family and friends, letting them know their loved one has been visited, grieved and prayed for by others, too.
So, to sum up, historically, a “tombstone” was the stone placed on top of a stone coffin. A “gravestone” was a stone slab covering a grave. “Headstones” were generally markers denoting a grave. Today, though, all of these terms indicate a marker placed at the head of a grave.
The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning. It represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement, God ('God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere' (Hermes Trismegistus)).
There are variants to the design, also known as "Jerusalem cross", with either the four crosslets also in the form of Crosses potent, or conversely with the central cross, also in the form of a plain Greek cross. It is not to be confused with the Lorraine cross, which has also been called the "Jerusalem cross".
Found throughout Ireland and Scotland, Celtic crosses predate Christianity and were first used by pagans in the worship of the sun. In pagan times, the Celtic cross was known as a Sun Cross or Sun Wheel and was a symbol of Odin, the Norse god. The circle in the cross is now widely known to represent the sun.
Symbol. The symbol ♀ (Unicode: U+2640 Alt codes: Alt+12), a circle with a small cross underneath, is commonly used to represent females.
For Egyptians, the obelisk was a reverential monument, commemorating the dead, representing their kings, and honoring their gods. These monuments were representational in both structure and arrangement, serving as monuments with a complete structure of understanding.
Scholars believe that obelisks represented eternity and immortality, and their long, tapering form functioned to connect the heavens and the earth. Their pinnacles were typically covered in gold to reflect the sunlight.
When seen on a cemetery headstone or gravemarker, two clasped hands on the same level with matching cuffs typically represent: A farewell/goodbye to earthly life. The continuity/unity of life and death as a human condition. A greeting/welcome to eternal life.
Is it disrespectful to walk on graves? Yes, it is disrespectful. Always walk between the headstones and avoid standing on top of a gravesite.
Finger Pointing Up. Fingers pointing upward are a very common cemetery symbol. They indicate that the departed has gone to heaven and beckons grieving loved ones to look up. Flowers. Flowers can symbolize that the deceased was in the full bloom of life.