A Visit to a Cemetery

Near where we live, right in town, is the Aleksander Nevsky Cemetery.  It was founded in 1775 and is a treasure trove of history. just beckoning for discovery.  We found it quite by chance one day as we were on a long walk.  As we entered, we felt as if we had been transported to another time in the world - a time when things were very different and very simple. A place where culture played a large role in daily life, including the burial of the dead.

Main gate of the Aleksander Nivsky Cemetery

Closed to automobiles.  To enter through the gate, you must walk through the small portal on the left

Many graves are placed in raised mounds like this one

Many graves are grouped within cast iron fencing

The crosses are usually very large and decorative

This gate was placed in 1908

All around us are the markings of the human race in dealing with their mortality.  It is a somber place with many reminders that death is a portal we all must pass through at some time in our sojourn here on earth.  The setting sun, see  picture below, symbolizes the end of a mortal journey.  Yet in the midst of death, there springs forth the hope of a better life, much like the hope of flowers that push their way through the wintered soil, reaching, ever reaching for warmth and life.

Spring flowers symbolize the hope we have in Jesus Christ for a new life, free from the pains and sadness of physical and spiritual death