Graveyard

Graveyard
The Matthews Monument at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Jonesin' Bad for Olsany in Prague



Well, it's winter here in the northeastern section of the United States, and I have little love for snow and cold and all things white and grey.  Unless those things white and grey are marble and granite tombstones!  I was thinking about my Prague trip last spring, and decided to share my remaining photographs of Olsany Cemetery with you.  (I only took 500 while I was there---about 100/hour!)  Hope you enjoy!



A close-up of the last gravestone, notice the small bird in the large bird's claw.
  
Close-ups of this lovely stone follow....


 

A lovely nun I know said this bird might be a pelican, which in Christianity is considered a symbol of a self-sacrificing parent.  In medieval Europe, there was the thought that a mother pelican would wound her own breast to provide blood for her young.  Hence, the pelican is compared to Jesus.  The anchor is a Christian symbol as well, symbolizing hope. 


 

 


The bronze work in Olsany was incredible.













Seriously, I had forgotten how much ivy there was....
 










There was very few instances of broken tombstones here.









It was eerie in places, but still so beautiful...




























This was being repaired...







He looks like he might have boxed at one point! 


Would love to have seen this with its head



I love this photo, with the old carved stone and the more modern memorial in the back.






That's quite an eyebrow!


Faith, Hope and Charity





The ironwork was gorgeous and so ornate

Oregon holly, all over the place and in bloom there in early April.











I need a family crest!

Hermes is a very popular symbol in Prague











This is a statue of an old man....better pictures to follow.



I love this....not your typical angel statue








Symbol for physician








From the more modern section of Olsany






A European blue jay that kept following me