Chicagoans first buried their dead on the banks of the Chicago River until the city began to steadily encroach on the space and concerns were raised about the possibility of disease being spread. Also this riverside land was highly sought after, perhaps better suited to the Lincoln Park of today. For these reasons the graves …
Graveyards can be sombre and contemplative spaces. Coming across a 17th century burial site just above the Kanmangafuchi Abyss in Nikko, that was interring “The Graves of the Self-Immolation”, was especially intriguing. I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly sure what ‘self-immolation’ meant and had to have Geoff explain to me that self-immolation is the act of …
Driving through Norway, one passes through one picturesque village after another. At the heart of some of these towns you may even come across an historic wooden or stave church built in the Middle Ages and looking like something out of Grimm’s Fairytales. Each churchyard houses manicured grounds with well tended graves, swamped with flowers …
Norwegian Cemeteries: Not so easily “dust to dust”… Read More »
Apparently there is a name for people like me who are fascinated by the beauty and the history of graveyards – “Tombstone Tourists”. Most people see graveyards as a harsh necessity, while others go out of their way to avoid them. I think I’m captivated by the unknown, by the finality of the lives that …
I have a fascination with graveyards. I am drawn to their peacefulness, their interminable silence, their other-worldliness. Death is a mystery to all of us, but a cemetery compels you to engage with the concept whether you want to or not.
