Cemeteries as Art

Many people dismiss cemeteries as creepy, or sad, places - not places at which to stop, not places at which to admire history. But cemeteries are as historic and artistic as any museum. The practice of burying and remembering the dead spans worldwide.

Crossroads Magazine spoke to two very different tombstone-lovers about their obsession with cemeteries and how they connect the living as well as the dead.

Dr. Bart DePetrillo is a retired obstetrician, who has spent the past 20 years collecting and carefully documenting Italian history through its cemeteries. He considers their cemeteries their greatest museums.

Ruthie Brown is the President of the Connecticut Gravestone Association. Her mission is to preserve and protect our cemeteries here in the state. She says the art within American cemeteries may be harder to find, but it’s no less real.

Two different people, with two different goals, and one meeting place that spans worldwide - cemeteries.

To hear their stories, and get a glimpse at the beauty within cemeteries, click here.