Maramures county is the northern part of Transilvania in Romania where impressive wooden churches were constrcuted in the past two centuries. They were a response to the ban of the Catholic Austro-Hungarian authorities to erect Orthodox stone churches.
The Merry Cemetery is located in the village of Sapanta. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the people who are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. It was started by the sculptor Stan Jon Patras in the 30ies of the last centuray and every year new oak wood crosses are added by his successors. The epitaph on his cross says:
Her is where I rest, Jon Stan Oncu us my name.
Anca Mihailescu, Sapinta, 1991
I left this life at age 54, died in the year 1949.
I loved sheep dearly, dry in spring
When milk came in, it filled the buckets.
Come on, you sheep, come on!
You love life, not like me, poor me.
For I had to leave you.
© 2018