If you spend a lot of time in cemeteries you will often start to notice the repetition of certain cemetery symbols and motifs. In Ontario, more so in southern Ontario, urns tend to be a common gravestone symbol.

Although cremation was rarely practiced in North America at the time, the urn became a popular symbol in the Victorian era. Urns as a funerary symbol were adapted from Ancient Greece. Cremation was commonly practiced by the Ancient Greeks, who used ceremonial urns. As a gravestone symbol, the urn represents the body reduced to its most basic elements and the ascension of the spirit to heaven. Today cremation is a common practice, having started its climb to popularity in the 1980s.

I have found and photographed many urns during my cemetery walks, so today I wanted to share some of them with you.

Like many graveyard symbols, the urn can be found depicted in a variety of ways. Each version of the symbol has a slightly different meaning. This is one of the reasons I find cemetery symbolism so interesting. It is a language unto itself. 

The Victorians were very fond of drapery, and you might come across what looks to be a fabric made of stone draped over an urn. Fabric draped over a gravestone is often thought to symbolize the veil between life and death. The fabric might also represent the shedding of earthly clothes as the deceased moves from this life to the afterlife. 

Have you ever found a unique version of an urn symbol? I would love to read about your finds in the comments. 

Thanks for reading!

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References:

• The History of Cremation in North America | Une Belle Vie Memorial Urns
• Understanding Cemetery Symbols: A Field Guide for Historic Graveyards by Tui Snider 
• Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Douglas Keister