25 of the strangest and most unusual headstones in the world (26 photos)

Nothing is certain in this world except death and taxes. Some people prefer to plan their future right up until the funeral: what cemetery, what will be written on the tombstone, where the commemoration will take place. Choosing a headstone is one of the most responsible tasks. In this collection you you will see not only magnificent monuments to the dead, but you will also recognize frightening stories.





1. The Witch of Woodplumpton



In a 17th-century grave rests Meg Shelton, who deserved the county's reputation as a witch. It was said that she caused diseases in cattle, failures in agriculture, turned into animals and committed other atrocities. Meg was brutally murdered and buried upside down. Instead of the usual tombstone - a boulder to seal the burial forever.

2. Tomb of Fernand Arbelote



In the French cemetery of Père Lachaise, there are many beautiful monuments. One of them belongs to the actor and pianist Fernand Arbelote, who died in 1942. The artist wished to forever look at the face of his wives.

3. "City of the Dead" in North Ossetia



Crypt structures of the XIV-XVIII centuries near the village of Dargavs. Archaeologists have counted the remains of about 10,000 people. According to one version, during a plague epidemic, sick residents retired to one-window houses and waiting for death. According to another version, after the Mongol-Tatar invasion the inhabitants of the mountain valley began to create above-ground tombs in order to preserve space.

4. Transi



Transi - a type of tombstone from the Middle Ages, which made in the form of a decaying corpse. Researchers believe that these tombstones were supposed to remind the living of the inevitability of death (memento mori). The picture shows "Man with worms", Bussu, Belgium.

5. Black Angel at Oakland Cemetery



An angel towers over the grave with the inscription "Rodina Feldevertova", which in Czech means "the Feldevertov family", and guards the remains of Teresa and Nicholas Feldevertov, as well as the son Teresa Eddy Dolezal. They say the statue turned from bronze to black because Teresa was a witch. There are also rumors that the Black Angel able to kill anyone who kisses or touches him.

6. "Ricardo the Cat"



Among the Victorian graves and granite tombstones of the Parisian The cemetery of Montparnasse can be discovered one colorful creation. "Cat Ricardo" has a height of about 1.5 m and is decorated with mosaics. Artist Niki de Saint Phalle created this headstone for her assistant Ricardo Menon, who died in 1989 at the age of 37. The epitaph at the cat's paws reads: "To our friend Ricardo, who died too soon, handsome, young and beloved."

7. House in the cemetery



The tomb of Jonathan Reed and his wife is worthy of mention in our list. When Jonathan's wife Mary died, he went to live in her crypt and remained there until his death ten years later. Jonathan put for himself an empty coffin, furniture, a wood-burning stove. For the first year Jonathan was visited by about 7,000 people, he was often seen talking to Mary.

8 Funeral Tree



The Toraja live on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. This people peculiar funeral rituals. Babies who died before teeth erupt, they are buried in tree trunks.

9. The grave of the Hungarian heroine



Katalin Karady - Hungarian film star of the 1940s, rescued Jews during World War II. In 1944 her arrested on suspicion of espionage. She later managed to bribe the executioners with their jewels and save several Jewish children from being shot. Before the liberation of Budapest by Soviet troops, these children lived in an apartment actresses.

Katalin's tomb at the Farkashreti cemetery in Budapest became a place of pilgrimage for those who wish to pay tribute to the beautiful woman.

10. Grave in a boulder



William Jeffreys was only 28 years old when, in 1844, he elected to the North Carolina Senate. A year later, he became seriously ill, there were hallucinations and a fear of being buried and eaten by worms. William warned loved ones that he wanted to be buried in stone. At first, his words were not taken seriously, since the man was young, full of enthusiasm and counting on recovery. But William's fortune worsened, so the father gave in to his request. The bricklayer carried out the order almost a year. He also made a marble slab with an inscription in memory of Jeffreys.

11. Monument to Ines Clark



The statue of a girl in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago does not seem creepy. According to legend, eight-year-old Ines died from a lightning strike in 1880. year. They say that in bad weather her spirit appears, children's laughter and crying are heard. Cemetery guards claim that the statue disappears at night. However, according to According to official documents, no Ines Clark was buried.

12. Grave of Andy Warhol



It seemed to be a completely ordinary tombstone. However, the grave Pop Art Icons is streamed 24 hours a day on the Warhol Museum website. In addition, you can look at the burial with the help of a branded bright filter, and send cans of Campbell's soup.

13. Lover of Luitis



At the Luitis family plot at Bellefontein Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri, there is a magnificent sculpture. German Luitis commissioned this statue after falling in love with an Italian model. The girl rejected his marriage proposal. reminder about he kept his beloved in his house for many years. Later sculpture placed next to the family grave.

14. Pyramid of William Mackenzie



In the very center of Liverpool rises a pyramid 4.5 meters high. This is not the last refuge of the Egyptian dignitary, but the resting place gambler of the Victorian era. William Mackenzie bequeathed to bury yourself inside the pyramid, sitting at the card table with a winning combination cards in hand.

15. The graves of a Catholic woman and her Protestant husband



Colonel van is buried in the Protestant part of the cemetery. Gorkum. His wife, Lady van Efferden, rests in the Catholic section. Two hands meet across the wall above their tombstones, proving that love does not neither conventions nor even death are terrible.

16. Sacrifice of the Beast 666



It's not every day you see a tombstone that says its owner fell victim to the Beast 666. This grave is located in the Canadian province of Ontario and is owned by Lilly E. Gray. The mysterious phrase never found an explanation. It was said that Lilly's husband had mental problems and ordered headstone when he was not himself.

17. Oriental rug



Rudolf Nureyev was a legendary ballet dancer and partner English ballerina Margo Fontaine. Nureyev, considered one of the most gifted dancers of our time, died of heart complications in 1993 year. He was a connoisseur of beautiful carpets and tapestries and was buried in ballet shoes. His unique tombstone is made in the form of an oriental carpet.

18. Jay's grave



This grave from the late 1700s in Devon is believed to contain the suicide lies. The place is popular with hunters haunted. Kitty Jay was buried at a crossroads to the ghost could not find its way to the other world. Looks like one of the locals Kitty still feels sorry for the residents, because fresh flowers are often placed on her grave. flowers.

19. Blue Sky Mausoleum



Mausoleum "Blue Sky" can be seen at Forest Cemetery Lawn in Buffalo, New York. It was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright after his close friend Darwin D. Martin. But neither the customer, nor the architect did not live to see the completion of construction. Project handed over to Wright's student.

20. Mausoleum of Khoja Donier



Ashes of the Old Testament buried in the mausoleum in Samarkand biblical prophet Daniyar (Daniel). According to legend, the grave began to grow, reaching a length of about 18 meters. The mausoleum was periodically completed and lengthened by mullahs.

21. Tombstone of Florence Irene Ford



Florence died of yellow fever at the age of ten in 1871 and was buried in Natchez City Cemetery in Adams County, state of Mississippi. Throughout her short life, the girl is scared afraid of thunderstorms. After her death, her mother built next to the gravestone a small shelter where she went down during a thunderstorm and read books to her daughter.

22. Gravestone of Georges Rodenbach



Another creation from the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Job Belgian sculptor J. Minnet depicts a writer who released from granite. As if mocking death, he holds in hand flower.

23. Crypt of Elizabeth Demidova



Elizaveta Demidova came from a Russian family who made his fortune in the salt and fur trade. She married a Russian Count Nikolai Nikitich Demidov, a wealthy industrialist. After divorce moved to Paris, where she died in 1818 at the age of 40. According to legend, after her death, relatives learned from the will that she leaves millions of francs to those who are willing to spend a year and a day next to her coffin in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Several people tried to accomplish this feat, but no one succeeded.

24. Wild Boy Peter



A feral child named Peter was found in 1725 in the woods. near Hameln, Germany. He was brought to the UK by order George I, whose interest arose in the boy during a visit to Hanover. On Peter was approximately 10 years old at the time of discovery. Over the next 60 years lived in society, he learned three words. Walked on all fours had serious developmental problems, preferred to sleep in the corner of his room, not in bed. Peter was buried in Northcrunch at the head entrance of the church of St. Mary.

25. Mausoleum of Cyrus II the Great



Cyrus the Great - the first king of the Achaemenid Empire and the fourth king Anshan. One of the first mentions of his tomb in Pasargadae found in the writings of the Greek historian Aristobulus, who traveled with Alexander the Great during military campaigns.

Cyrus the Great was buried in a golden sarcophagus along with weapons, jewelry and a cloak.