Cemetery Art & Symbolism

Anchor - Christian symbol for hope. Commonly used in the 18th and 19th centuries to represent the deceased’s seafaring profession. Also used, often wrapped in vines, to represent firm Christian faith.

Angel - Messenger between God and man.

Ankh - The original meaning of this Egyptian symbol is not known. One suggests that it combines the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) and therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth. It is usually portrayed in ancient Egyptian art in the hands of a deity. As a hieroglyph, it likely encompassed a range of meanings depending on its associated hieroglyphs but all of these expressions centered around the concept of life or life force.

Over time, the ankh certainly came to symbolize life and immortality, the universe, power and life giving air and water. “Its keylike shape also encouraged the belief it could unlock the gates of death.”

The Coptic Christians used it as a symbol of life after death. The ankh has been used in magic.

Broken Column - End of life; sorrow. Usually symbolizes a life cut short. It also represents the eventual ruin or decomposition of us all.

Celtic Cross IHS - The first three letters in the Greek spelling of Jesus are IHS. In the Middle Ages this was incorrectly interpreted as “Jesus Hominum Salvatore” or “Jesus Savior of Mankind”. This interpretation has stuck, and the letters have thus acquired a greater significance than originally understood. The Thomas Pryor cross (late nineteenth or early twentieth century) is an example of this usage. It can be found in block K of the Original Section.

Dove - Holy Spirit, Soul Reaching Peace, Spirituality. In Slavic culture, at death the soul turns into a dove. In Visigothic and Romanesque art, it represents souls. In Hinduism, the dove represents the spirit. This bird was sacred to Zeus, to Athena as a symbol of the renewal of life, and to Aphrodite as a symbol of love. To the ancient Egyptians, it signified innocence, and in Islam the dove is the protector of Mohammed. In Christianity, the Holy Ghost of the Trinity is often portrayed as a dove. In China it represents longevity and orderliness while in Japan the dove is associated with the war god Hachiman. In Jewish history the dove was sometimes sacrificed for a mother’s purification after childbirth. The dove is sometimes an emblem of Israel. 

Draped Urn - Sorrow, mourning

Hands - This is a very expressive symbol that takes on different meanings depending on its positioning in relation to the body and arrangement of the fingers. The raised hand symbolizes voice and song, placed on the chest it represents the wisdom of the sage, on the neck it depicts sacrifice, covering the eyes it signifies clairvoyance at the moment of death.

Two hands joined typically signify union. A common hand placement on Jewish tombstones is the two open hands, thumbs touching, with index and middle finger spread away from the ring and pinkie fingers. This gesture, raised above the head, is used by priests to bring God’s glory through the hands’ openings and to the congregation.

In Egyptian hieroglyphics, pre-Columbian America and as an amulet in Islamic cultures, the open hand represents a human task and magnetic force. The hand, with its five fingers, takes on the meaning of the number five, i.e., love, health and humanity.

Handshakes carry a variety of meanings including greeting, good-bye, friendship, solidarity, unity and agreement, and the doubling of power achieved through partnership. 

The right hand is the lifeforce or hand of power.

An eye associated with a hand symbolizes clairvoyant action.

Inverted Torch - Extinction of life, death

Ivy - Immortality, Friendship, Faithfulness. Because it is an evergreen that clings while climbing, it signifies the need for protection. Since it grows quickly, it also symbolizes regeneration, sensuality and revelry. The Greco-Roman god Dionysus, or Bacchus, had an ivy cup and wore a crown of ivy leaves.

Lamb - Purity, Innocence, Gentleness, Sacrifice. In Christianity it represents the sacrificial crucifixion of Christ for the sins of the world.

Laurel branch, leaves - Represent special achievement, distinction, success, triumph of worldly accomplishment, and heroism.

Lily - Light, Purity, Perfections, Mercy and Majesty. In Greco-Roman mythology this flower was sacred to Hera and Artemis. In Byzantium and early France, it was a royal emblem (the fleur-de-lis is sometimes considered a stylized lily). Primarily the lily has Christian associations, usually attached to the Virgin Mary where it signifies chastity. When Christ is shown as the judge of the world with a lily in his mouth, the flower represents mercy. A lily and a sword signify guilt and innocence.

Lyre (Greek) - Symbol of harmony and heavenly accord. It represents music and song in praise and honor of God.

Obelisk - An upright four-sided pillar, gradually tapering as it rises and cut off at the top in the form of a pyramid, symbol for the Egyptian god, Re, who held the power to recreate, hence, God, lord over all, creator.

Palm - Signifies Victory and rejoicing

Rose - Completion, Achievement, Perfection. Meanings vary depending on the color, shape and number of petals. For example, the blue rose symbolizes the impossible, the golden rose the pinnacle of achievement, an eight petal rose regeneration. 

Scales - Justice, Balance. Originating in Chaldea as the mystic symbol of justice, it represents the equivalence of guilt and punishment. From the zodiacal archetype of Libra it represents immanent justice, the idea that guilt automatically unleashes the forces that bring self-destruction and punishment.

Sextant - A symbol of a navigator or explorer

Star - The Spirit, Divine Presence, Enlightenment, Wisdom, Human Aspiration. Represents light struggling against darkness. The Babylonian goddess Ishtar’s emblem was an eight pointed star and females such as Astarte, Isis, and the Virgin Mary are often pictured with a crown of stars. Stars are sometimes believed to be the souls of the dead with comets being seen as foretellers of doom and sign of the anger of the sun god. Stars often take on an additional meaning depending on their color, shape, number of points and arrangement. The most common, the five pointed star, comes from Egyptian hieroglyphics where it meant “rising upwards toward the point of origin” and formed part of words such as “to bring up,” “To educate,” “the teacher.”

Torch - Turned upside down, it represents death. Right side up, it symbolizes life and the regenerative power of fire. It has been used in initiation and fertility rites in many cultures and was the emblem, in Greek mythology, of Eros and Aphrodite, symbolizing the flame of love. In Christianity, the torch represents purification through God’s illuminating the spirit, and Christ as the Light of the World. Associated with one of the seven deadly sins, it represents anger. The torch is also seen as an emblem of places of learning and signifies truth and intelligence.

Tree trunk - Brevity of life

Willow Tree - Perpetual mourning and grief

Winged sun disk and cobras - Sun: A symbol of light and warmth, renewed life and life everlasting. The winged sun is a symbol of royal dignity from the Ancient Kingdom. This is an ancient Egyptian symbol which represents the journey of the sun. Ra was the creator of the world, ancestor of the pharaohs and god of the sun (symbolized by the solar disk) and skies (symbolized by the wings).

Wreath - Victory in Death. 

Amazing Architecture at Bellefontaine Cemetery

To see a selection of some of the most beautiful memorial art on our grounds, visit our Timeline here and explore the orange “Architectural” dots.