Art in the Cemetery

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu may not exactly be a hotbed for cemetery cultural tours, but this doesn’t mean that it is bereft of tombstones that are worthy of rousing a taphophile’s interests – a taphophile being an individual who has a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries, epitaphs, gravestone rubbing, photography, art, and history of famous deaths.

The Carretta Cemetery – the city’s biggest public cemetery – is steeped with examples of such artistic tombstones. These works of art tell of how tombstones can be messengers that are also part of the message.

A Pietà-inspired tombstone

The Asociasion Beneficia Española de Cebu area – popularly referred to as the “Spanish Section” of the Carreta Cemetery – houses a number of tombstones that speak of keen craftsmanship and skill.

One such tombstone in the Asociasion Beneficia Española de Cebu appears to have been inspired by what has been dubbed as the masterpiece of Renaissance master Michelangelo – The Pietà – only molded in reverse form from the master sculptor’s work housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

A tombstone inspired by William Wetmore Story’s “Angel of Grief”

Another tombstone located in the Asociasion Beneficia Española de Cebu bears certain similarities to a piece crafted by American poet, art critic and sculptor William Wetmore Story.

Titled “Angel of Grief,” the sculpture at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome was made by Story in memory of his wife – a memorial which has been replicated in tombstones all over the world.

It’s hard to say if the maker of the tombstone in Cebu’s Carreta Cemetery was directly inspired by Story’s sculpture, but given its subject’s pose, one can’t be faulted in associating it with Story’s “Angel of Grief.”

A Devotional Area with Religious Images

The devotional area of the Carreta Cemetery where votive candles are lit and prayers are offered is not exactly a tombstone, but the section has a number of religious images left by cemetery visitors.

From images of the Sto. Niño to statues depicting Jesus Christ in “Salvator Mundi” pose (right hand raised with the thumb and two fingers extended in blessing, left hand carrying an object), the area of the cemetery holds a number of statues left there by cemetery visitors over the years – in a way, a ‘chronicler’ of the different ways religious images are crafted.