There is nothing more haunting in cemeteries than an angel. They often stand tall with hands reaching up towards the heavens or wings readied to fly or protecting the grave. Angels in cemetery can be seen across religions, cultures and around since the dawn of civilisation.
As its most basic core, angels are the archetypal beings that link the divine to the human world. They can be seen as harbingers of death, such as Azrael or Samael, or announcing joyful and profound events, as the choir of angels did in the story of the Nativity.
Angelic archetypes seem to have existed since before recorded history. Many different civilizations had theses messengers as part of their culture. In sixth century Persia BCE, Zoroastrianism had a form of guardian angels, called Fravashi, which is often regarded as the manifest of divine energy or light.
Winged beings can be found in various forms from Isis in Egypt to Greece’s and Rome’s Hermes/Mercury who is seen as the messenger of the gods. While in ancient Mesopotamia would reference shining beings as messengers. The Judaic tradition adapted the shining being concept to the angel, when they fled Babylon in 450 BCE.
After this period, the ancient Hebrew text speak of radian beings who would have guided humans in the making of weapons and agriculture. However, the predominant archetype is the messenger of the divine. In Judaic tradition there is not worship of angels as seen in Christianity.
In the early stages, the Christian concept of angels remained a messenger of God. One can only think of the Nativity and see the omnipresence of angels from the announcement to Marie to the choir of angels announcing the birth. As Christianity evolved, the concept of angels, who were named and assigned specific roles, such as Gabriel and Michael.
Angels are central to Islam and take on a very similar meaning as previously mentioned. Angels are the messengers of the divine while also having specific responsibilities. Both Gabriel and Michael can also be found in Islamic text.
European artists began to depict angels with wings in the fouth century AD. In the 12th and 13th centuries, angels were wildly popular, and this helped create the symbolism of that we find depicted in cemeteries today.
By the Victorian era, angels had become an important funeral symbol. The winged cherubs became a symbol of innocence and immortality. Cherubs usually represent the grave of a baby or a child. When they adorn the grave of an adult, their meaning might be more representative of the soul’s entrance into paradise.
The archangel Michael, lead defender against evil, is depicted in works of art wearing armor and holding a sword. This archangel can be holding an inverted torch (to symbolize the extinguished life) or a palm meant to be a symbol of eternal life and signifies triumph over death.
The archangel Gabriel is always depicted with a horn or trumpet to signify the call of Judgment Day and resurrection. Angels can be depicted holding harps and represent the soul’s passage from life to death.
An angel pointing upward is leading the soul toward heaven and its reward, while an angel holding a star represents victory over death.
The angel holding a rolled-up scroll or book represents the record of the deceased’s life, while the most tragic of all, is the angel of grief, who throws itself over the monument with its face hidden and drooping wings.
At Beechwood, we do have the Garden of Angels, with two cherubs overlooking the children’s section of our cemetery.
Although full statues are becoming less common, modern monuments still use angelic symbolism from palm branches, scrolls, trumpets and stars. Angels are an enduring symbol of belief. Angels remain part of death culture; we speak of angels guarding us, watching over us and being part of our lives with statues and pendants.
Article original published in the Funeral Chronicle in May 14 2022, written by Nicolas McCarthy.
