The old skull grave exudes symbolism.
The stone is a typical slab stone of its era. Henry Kuparinen
At the Talvisalo cemetery in Savonlinna, an enigmatic old tombstone awaits.
The place is a bit difficult to find. First, you should navigate to the hero statue and go down the wide corridor. The stone is about halfway to the left.
The stone is probably from the 19th century. It has an Orthodox cross carved on the top, a skull and tibias on the bottom. The pirate-like appearance as such is not exceptional.
– Only the holes are a mystery, grave digger Marko Ruuskanen tells.
Really: Where there are usually names and years, there are only hundreds of small holes.
What did it say? Henry Kuparinen
Apart from them, there are more similar-looking graves from the same era in Savonlinna.
The Talvisalo cemetery was established in 1878 near the Russian cemetery. The year of its establishment is no longer known, but the oldest of the tombstones found so far is from 1832 and belongs to a Russian merchant couple. The second oldest is a priest who died in 1936.
The main skull stone is not in its original position. According to Ruuskanen, it has been moved to a more remote place when the original grave has been put into use again.
The stone was brought from Russia, the gravedigger estimates. It is a softer stone quality than the Finnish ones. According to one theory, the holes are for fixing pins for loose letters, he says.
– It must have belonged to a slightly wealthier person when they could afford beer for such a stone.
You can see skulls on tombstones in St. Petersburg, for example, gravedigger Marko Ruuskanen says. Henry Kuparinen
Were you attracted by the glitter of gold?
Spokesperson for the Finnish Orthodox Church Vladimir Sokratilin ends up hearing the same conclusion. He is not familiar with Talvisalo’s skull grave, but he thinks that the holes are just for fastening.
– It could be that there were either letters or decorations, for example wreaths or other flower arrangements, Sokratilin reflects.
According to him, the use of such was common in the 18th and 19th centuries. The letters or decorations may have been, for example, bronze.
– If they have been gilded, someone might have thought they were gold.
The skull is indeed a common symbol in old Orthodox tombs, Sokratilin confirms. The skull and tibias refer to Calvary, where Adam was buried according to church tradition.
– If it is an Orthodox grave, they are Adam’s head and bones, which refer to the Fall and the original curse.
In any case, the stone tells about the wealth of the deceased. In the Orthodox tradition, permanent monuments were not encouraged. The more wealthy had stones and iron crosses, for others a wooden cross or a stake was enough. As it decayed in time, so did the human memory.
Maybe it doesn’t hurt that the names have already disappeared.
The stone, on the other hand, does not seem to be forgotten. Ruuskanen says that he last received a message last week asking about the location of the grave.
Although people visit the grave, no flowers or candles have been brought to it. Ruuskanen has taken care of the grave, as well as other neglected graves. He has lifted the stone higher and washed it of lichen.
He doesn’t bother with the story of the grave.
– A person does not need to know everything here. There can also be riddles here.
#mystery #Eastern #Finns #grave #plagued #small #town #decades
