The Merry Cemetery

Not too many times you see people laughing and having a good time in a cemetery. There is a place however, where this actually happens. The small village of Sapanta, Maramures county, Romania, is known worldwide for its unique cemetery - The Merry Cemetery. The name comes from the colorful tombstones that depict the persons who were buried there, in a very unusual and unique manner. The design of the thousands of crosses, very colorful, and containing poetry and lyrics, arouses the interest and amusement of the tourists. The major purpose is to remind us that even though death is inevitable, our souls never die, but rather they rise to a better place.

 

Ioan Patras, the founder of the cemetery, was a sculptor, painter, and poet. Using all his artistic skills, in the 1930's, he started carving crosses. At the beginning, his passion was just an experiment. Then, as the word got out, more and more people became interested in his work.

The crosses, made out of wood, are all carved by hand. Once all the carving is done, the background is painted blue. When dry, other colors are added, to give it a playful look. Each cross has two main features: a painted scene from the life of the deceased, located on the top, and a short poem, down on the bottom. The upper painting usually represents a scene from the life of the person buried there. It could be his work, him being out in the field, or playing with his children.  The poem starts off with the pronoun “I”, giving us the impression that the deceased is filling us in with the good or bad things he has done in his life, or how his death occurred. This information is usually expressed in a satiric or ironic manner. Through the poetry, the dead is able to send messages to their living families and friends, and therefore he will always be remembered...!

If it wasn't for the colorful and unusual design of the tombstones and crosses, The Merry Cemetery at Sapanta would induce, like any other cemetery, sobriety and sadness. The vivid colors, the pictorial scenes, and the poetry and lyrics added on the cross, give the place a note of amusement, and create good disposition among the visitors!