Our gravestone is our
last message to the world and a permanent memorial to how we wish
to be remembered. The inscriptions on headstones range from the
prosaic requiescat in pace (rest in peace) to epitaphs, poems,
quotations, professions of faith, imprecations, reflections on
mortality, warnings to anyone who might disturb the earthly remains
and even jokes (comic writer Spike Milligan’s gravestone bears the
legend “I told you I was ill”).
The images on gravestones can have more cryptic meanings. Early
Christians would depict an anchor instead of a cross on headstones
to avoid persecution for their faith. Other common motifs are the
urn to symbolise the immortality of the soul, a broken column to
represent a life cut short and a skull or skeleton to serve as a
memento mori, reminding the visitor of their own mortality. Knowing
how to decode this symbolic language can reveal insights into the
person interred, the circumstances of their life and their hopes
for the afterlife.
In this age where most people who die are cremated the art of
tombstone design is becoming something of a lost art. In his
illustrated talk, taphophile Robert Stephenson will delve into its
history, symbolism and meaning.
Tickets
£12.50 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration
projects at Highgate Cemetery.
Robert
Stephenson
Robert Stephenson is a qualified City of London Culture and
Heritage guide and a trustee at Kensal Green and Brompton
cemeteries. He teaches on London and death studies. Robert is also
chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends.
| Ticket | Event time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Goodbye World
The Hidden Language of Graveyards |
19:00 - 21:00 | £13.75 |
Address
The Chapel: HIghgate Cemetery West, Swains Lane, London, N6 6PJ
Nearest Station
Archway (Tube)
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