A Torc

When you read this, I will be starting out on my Ireland adventure. As some of you remember from reading this blog, I went to Ireland four years ago this January and brought back a wealth of photographs. I’ve been looking through those in preparation for my second trip.

While not a funerary memorial, this giant torc in Bunratty, Ireland, certainly qualifies as a monument and a tribute to the peoples who lived on the land in ages past, as the plaque indicates the artist was inspired by ancient artifacts and structures.

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St. Bridget’s Well

Ireland has three patron saints: Patrick, Columba, and Brigid (or Bridget). During my 2009 trip to Ireland, our tour guide took us on a brief detour to visit St. Bridget’s Well. Alongside a country road in front of a small cemetery, there is a little concrete, sod-covered cave leading to the well. Those who come to pray at the well leave items behind, creating a colorful, 3D collage.

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Tomb sculptures wordless Wednesday

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Iranian tombstone

The tombstone of Shaikh al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn al-Hasan is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Carved from limestone, it dates to 1110. The carvings include not only the name of the deceased and his death date, but verses from the Qur’an.

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Orestes Sarcophagus

This 2nd century Roman sarcophagus is in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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Mourner statues

In further evidence that I can find funerary monuments anywhere, I took a number of photos of mourner statues at the Cleveland Museum of Art. This statue is from the tomb of Philip the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. The statue is about 600 years old, dating to the first decade of the 15th century. And those of you who know my other passion for prayer beads, he’s also holding a set of prayer beads.

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Jennie Wade House

As a follow-up to the previous post, these are photos of the Jennie Wade House, which of course was never known by that name during her life. Jennie was born and lived elsewhere, but she died in this house during the Battle of Gettysburg, and so it is the place most associated with her.

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Jenny Wade Birthplace

In the old section of Gettysburg, a house that doesn’t have a historical plaque or marker on it is in the minority. Any house that stood at the time of the battle bears a plaque stating that fact, like the top plaque on this house.

However, this house is also the birthplace of Mary Virginia Wade, the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. Twenty-year-old Ginnie Wade was staying with her sister, the Georgia Wade McClellan who unveiled the plaque. McClellan had just given birth when the sleepy little crossroads of Gettysburg was overrun by soldiers, and the family found themselves in the middle of the battle lines as the armies skirmished. Ginnie was kneading bread for baking when a bullet traveled through the door of the house and struck her in the back, killing her. Ginnie Wade’s sudden, tragic death brought her a fame she never could have expected in life, and Gettysburg now plays host to three tourist attractions associated with her: her grave in Evergreen Cemetery, the Jennie Wade House (her sister’s house where she was killed), and the Jennie Wade birthplace (a tasting room for Reid’s Winery).

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