How the empty graves of the cenotaph appeared, And who do people worship on them

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A gravestone over an empty or non-existent grave sounds like the beginning of a detective story. But it is quite possible that we are talking about a cenotaph, and then the novel may become historical. True, the appearance of such a structure is sometimes really associated with both crimes and investigations.

History of cenotaphs

Cenotaphs are erected in memory of a person or even several people. Such a monument - a mound, obelisk, tomb, crypt, or something similar - is considered a tombstone. However, the remains of the one to whom the building is dedicated are not under the cenotaph: either they have been moved, or they never were in this place. It is believed that the first cenotaphs appeared in Ancient Egypt, it is not difficult to find them - these are the pyramids-tombs of the pharaohs. Yes, such a massive structure of stone, as a rule, was not the resting place of the ruler, moreover, sometimes several pyramids were erected for one pharaoh, then all but one became cenotaphs.

For a man of antiquity, correct and complete burial rituals were especially important. But sometimes it turned out that the body of the deceased could not be found - and nevertheless it was required to carry out all the rituals necessary in such cases after his death. Then the cenotaph appeared.

Translated from the ancient Greek "cenotaph" and literally means "empty grave". The tradition of seeing the deceased on his last journey according to all the rules existed much earlier, and the absence of a body in this sense should not interfere with the ceremony that existed at that time. In 1972, an ancient burial ground dating back to the fifth millennium BC was accidentally discovered on the territory of Bulgaria in the city of Varna. In addition to the actual burials, full of jewelry made of gold and ceramics, empty graves were also discovered in this necropolis, organized in the same way as the real ones. Strictly speaking, they were not completely empty: inside they found clay head-masks, also decorated with gold. Why were the fake corpses given such honors? Perhaps because their bodies were lost for some reason.

It is believed that the ancient mounds of Northern Europe - large embankments that were built over the "grave" - became cenotaphs if a person died far from their homeland. The creation of a cenotaph, whatever form it took, served and serves the main purpose - to worship the deceased, to say goodbye and give him the opportunity to finally leave the world of the living - in the event that it is not possible to betray his body to the earth according to all the rules. Cenotaphs also appeared in cultures in which it was not customary to bury the dead.

Different cultures - different cenotaphs

In North India, about five centuries ago, a tradition arose to build special monuments - chatri. Translated from Sanskrit, this word means "umbrella". Chatri are domes resting on pillars - a kind of "gazebo" of different shapes. Often such structures can be seen in palaces and mausoleums. Since according to the traditions of Hinduism, the body after death is buried not in the earth, but in fire, the chatri was erected on the site of the cremation of wealthy and influential Hindus. These "stone umbrellas" can be placed on the ground or even on the roof and serve as a reminder of the deceased, and at the same time - an architectural monument or its element.

It is not surprising that there are so many masterpieces among the cenotaphs - after all, sincere love for departed compatriots has always inspired their contemporaries to create worthy monuments. The Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence has become the resting place of many - more than three hundred - famous Italians. Among those buried in the basilica are Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Buanarotti, Niccolo Machiavelli. But the "grave" of the Florentine Dante Alighieri is precisely the cenotaph.

The tomb in Ravenna became the real burial place of the author of The Divine Comedy, and despite the fact that the Florentines have long insisted on transferring the ashes of their great compatriot to them, Ravenna refuses to give Dante's remains for reburial. Only oil for the lamp in the mausoleum is traditionally brought from Florence every year.

And another Florentine cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, became the site of a picturesque, or rather, a mural cenotaph. The fresco depicting the English condottiere John Hawkwood was commissioned by the residents of the city after the remains of the famous military leader were transported to England for reburial. The work was carried out by the painter of the Early Renaissance Paolo Uccello.

Not only cities express a desire to become a resting place for talented, famous people, sometimes celebrities themselves express a desire to be buried in their beloved city. But this will is not always possible to carry out. This happened, for example, with Marina Tsvetaeva, who dreamed of finding peace in the Tarusa cemetery, but died and was buried in Elabuga. As a result, two cenotaphs appeared in memory of the poet Tsvetaeva. One - in the cemetery where she found her last refuge (the exact location of Tsvetaeva's grave is unknown), and the second cenotaph - a large stone with an inscription - was installed in her beloved city on the banks of the Oka.

The story of the death of the spouses Isidor and Ida Strauss, who traveled on the Titanic and refused to leave the sinking ship, was also marked by a cenotaph. More precisely, at the place where the monument is located, Isidore still found peace, but the remains of Ida were never found, so a cenotaph was installed for her. At the cemetery in the Bronx, a symbolic burial of a container of water from the crash site of the Titanic took place.

What do wreaths on the roads and the torch of the Statue of Liberty have in common?

Very often, cenotaphs are erected in memory of those who died during the wars; each country has its own objects of veneration, where people come to bow to their loved ones who gave their lives for the future of the country. State leaders perform official ceremonies. For example, in Whitehall, England, after the end of the First World War, a monument to the fallen soldiers was erected. This cenotaph is dedicated to those warriors whose bodies were not found or were not buried in their homeland.

No matter how huge the losses in wars, no matter how numerous the monuments to those who fell in battle, there is a type of cenotaph that is no less common than the tombstones of fallen soldiers. These are monuments to those who became victims of accidents, first of all - road accidents. Wreaths on the roads, and even more solid structures are also cenotaphs. After one of the most famous victims of road accidents - Princess Diana of Wales - the square on which her cenotaph is located is named. True, the history of this monument began long before the death of the princess. This copy of a fragment of the American Statue of Liberty - a "burning" torch - was installed in 1989 as a sign of friendship between the two powers on the square near the Alma Bridge.

Not far from this place, in a tunnel under the Seine, an accident occurred in which the princess died. It so happened that the torch became a place of pilgrimage for those who would like to bow to the memory of Diana in the French capital. That is why the area later received such a name.

Cenotaphs are sometimes erected instead of the graves of celebrities - graves that cannot be visited: they just don't exist.