University of Agronomics Sciences Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest,Romania

Merry Cemetery, Sapanta, Maramures

Crefeleanu Liviu GeorgeNeagu MihaiDalgeanu Octavian

GRUPA 8203

Merry CemeteryThe Merry Cemetery is a cemetery in the village of Săpânța, Maramureş county,Romania. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons who are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.

The unusual feature of this cemetery is that it diverges from the prevalent belief, culturally shared within European societies – a belief that views death as something indelibly solemn. Connections with the local Dacian culture have been made, a culture whose philosophical tenets presumably vouched for the immortality of the soul and the belief that death was a moment filled with joy and anticipation for a better life

The founder

The cemetery's origins are linked with the name of Stan Ioan Pătraş, a local artist who sculpted the first tombstone crosses. In 1935, Pătraș carved the first epitaph and, as of the 1960s, more than 800 of such oak wood crosses came into sight. The inscription on his tombstone cross says:

RomanianDe cu tînăr copilaș Io am fost Stan Ion PătrașSă mă ascultaț oameni buniCe voi spune nu-s minciuni

Cîte zile am trăitRău la nime n-am doritDar bine cît-am pututOrișicine mia cerut

Vai săraca lumea meaCă greu am trăit în ea

EnglishSince I was a little boyI was known as Stan Ion PătraşListen to me, fellowsThere are no lies in what I am going to say

All along my lifeI meant no harm to anyoneBut did good as much as I couldTo anyone who asked

Oh, my poor WorldBecause It was hard living in it

The founder

Funny epitaphs

Under this heavy crossLies my poor mother in-lawThree more days should she have livedI would lie, and she would read (this cross).You, who here are passing byNot to wake her up please tryCause' if she comes back homeShe'll criticise me more.But I will surely behaveSo she'll not return from grave.Stay here, my dear mother in-law!