Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenotaphs honour individuals, many noted cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of a country or of an empire.
Etymology
"Cenotaph" means "empty tomb" and is derived from the Greek κενοτάφιον, kenotaphion, a compound word that is created from the morphological combination of two root words:[1][2][3]
- κενός, kenos meaning "empty"
- τάφος, taphos meaning "tomb", from θαπτω, thapto, 'I bury'
History
Cenotaphs were common in the ancient world. Many were built in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and across Northern Europe (in the shape of Neolithic barrows).
The
The
The
Regional
Africa
South Africa
Zambia
In Livingstone there is a cenotaph at the Eastern Cataract of The Victoria Falls with the names of the men of Northern Rhodesia who died during the Great War 1914–18. It was unveiled by Prince Arthur of Connaught on 1 August 1923.
There is also a cenotaph in Lusaka at Embassy Park, opposite the Cabinet Office along Independence Avenue, and commemorates those Zambians who fought and died in World Wars I & II. The cenotaph was commemorated in 1977.[6]
The Americas
Argentina
A monument which has come to be known to as the "Cenotaph" was erected in Plaza San Martín, in downtown Buenos Aires, to commemorate the Argentinian soldiers who died during the Falklands War, in 1982. The monument consists of a series of plaques of black marble with the names of the fallen, surrounding a flame, and during the day is guarded by two soldiers.
Another cenotaph, which is a replica of the Argentine Military Cemetery in Darwin on the Falkland Islands, exists in Campo de Mayo, a large Army facility and training field just outside Buenos Aires.
Bermuda
A limestone replica of the Cenotaph at Whitehall in London was erected outside the Cabinet Building in Hamilton, Bermuda (with the cornerstone laid in 1920, and the completed monument unveiled in 1925).[7]
Canada
In Canada, major cenotaphs commemorating the nation's war dead in World War I and later conflicts include the
Falkland Islands
In the Falkland Islands, there are several war memorials to commemorate those killed in the Falklands War in 1982. The main memorial for Falkland Islanders is the 1982 Liberation Memorial, a cenotaph erected in Stanley in 1984 which lists all the British Army regiments, RAF squadrons, Royal Navy vessels and the Royal Marine formations and units that took part in the conflict. The names of the 255 British military personnel who died during the war are listed on ten plaques behind the Memorial, divided into the service branches.
Services are held at the Memorial each year on 14 June (Liberation Day)[8] and on Remembrance Sunday, with wreaths being laid at the foot of the Memorial.[9]
United States
In the
The
A cenotaph for the defenders of the
Atop War Memorial Chapel at Virginia Tech, there is a cenotaph honouring all Virginia Tech cadets who have been killed in battle. Inscribed upon the cenotaph are the names of the seven Virginia Tech alumni who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
Maya Lin's Memorial Wall in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed with the names of the approximately 58 thousand service members who died in the Vietnam War, is one of the most visited monuments in Washington D.C.
In
Asia
In Asia, the
Various cenotaphs in Asia have also been erected to commemorate the dead from events outside conventional Western coverage. The concrete Memorial Cenotaph at the
A cenotaph at
trees.In Kocaeli Province of Turkey there is a monumental cenotaph to memorialize the Carthaginian general and statesman Hannibal.
Europe
Belgium
The Interallied Memorial of Cointe, commissioned by FIDAC (The Interallied Federation of War Veterans Organisations) and built after World War I in Liège, is a complex consisting of a cenotaph with a tower as a secular monument and the Sacré-Cœur church as a religious building. Numerous monuments donated by Allied nations are displayed in the tower and on the adjoining esplanade.[13]
France
In the
On the cenotaph, next to the coat of arms, there are two epitaphs, in Greek and in Latin. The one in Latin begins: "To Michel de Montaigne, son of Pierre, grandson of Grimond, great-grand-son of Raymond, knight of Saint-Michel, ex-mayor of the city of Bordeaux, a man born for glory, with gentle manners, a witty mind ...".[15]
United Kingdom
London
A cenotaph in the UK that stands in
Belfast
The Cenotaph in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is located in the grounds of Belfast City Hall and is set within a Garden of Remembrance. It is about 9.5 metres (31 ft) high and presents several carvings including laurel wreaths, symbolising victory and honour. The Cenotaph is the site of the annual Northern Ireland memorial held on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to 11 November (Armistice Day).
Oceania
Australia
In Australia, Anzac Day commemorations are usually held at all of the nation's many war memorials, but not all of them are cenotaphs. Cenotaphs include the Hobart Cenotaph, the Sydney Cenotaph and the obelisk within the State War Memorial in Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia.[18]
New Zealand
Anzac Day commemorations are usually held at local war memorials as in New Zealand. Cenotaphs include the Dunedin Cenotaph, the Wellington Cenotaph and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph (a copy of the Whitehall Cenotaph).
Cenotaphs for the missing
Although most notable cenotaphs commemorate notable individuals buried elsewhere, many cenotaphs pay tribute to people whose remains have never been located, particularly those lost at sea. Some such cenotaphs are dedicated to victims of the
In Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands of Ireland, drowning was formerly such a common cause of death for island fishermen that each family had a memorial to those lost at sea known as leachtaí cuimhneacháin (memorial cairns). Most were erected in the 19th century, although some date back to the eighteenth. A modern memorial was erected in 1997.[21][22]
Chhatris
In India, cenotaphs are a basic element of
Art
Cenotaphs have also been the subject of a number of illustrations including:
- The Cenotaph to Reynold's Memory (John Constable, c. 1833)
- Elevation for Newton's Cenotaph, Perspective (Etienne-Louis Boullée, c. 1785)
- The Cenotaph of Jean Jacques Rousseau (Hubert Robert, 1794)
Digital and astronomical
In the Internet age, virtual cenotaphs are common in the game World of Warcraft,[23][24] as well as in The Elder Scrolls series games though modding add-ons.[25][26][27][28]
They have also been created in the
On 13 January 2016, Belgian amateur astronomers at MIRA Public Observatory dedicated, in conjunction with radio station
Gallery
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British Overseas Territory of Bermuda
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Cenotaph, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
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Cenotaph,Flesherton, Ontario, Canada
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Port Arthur Cenotaph, Waverley Park, Thunder Bay, Ontario
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Cenotaph, Victoria Park, London, Ontario
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Great War Memorial, Niagara Falls, Ontario
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Cenotaph, Victoria Park, Regina, Saskatchewan
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The Cenotaph located in Donegall Square in Belfast
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Étienne-Louis Boullée, fantasy sketch Cénotaphe a Newton (1784)
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Kuala Lumpur cenotaph, National Monument, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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San Antonio, Texas
-
The
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Cenotaph in Aldershot in the UK, 'Home of the British Army'
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National Monument, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Cenotaph, New Plymouth, New Zealand
See also
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre
- Cross of Sacrifice
- Epitaph
- Grave
- Memorialization
- Munstead Wood
- Victoria, Australia
- Stone of Remembrance
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Tropaeum Traiani
- War memorial
- Donkin Heritage Trail
References
- ^ Whitney, William Dwight (1914), The Century Dictionary: The Century dictionary, Century Company, p. 882
- Perseus Project.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "cenotaph". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ Snow, Dan (6 November 2014). "Remembrance Sunday should not be dominated by religion". Guardian.
- ^ Thompson, David (14 June 2008). "Cenotaph, Durban". Art Deco Buildings. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ The Zambian Freedom Trail Project, pamphlet phase 1 published with support by U.S. Embassy, Lusaka, Zambia
- ^ "Bermuda Cenotaph". Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Commemorations for 35th anniversary of Liberation Day held in Falklands". MercoPress. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Falklands Observance of Remembrance Day on Sunday 12 November". MercoPress. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ISBN 0-87033-477-8
- ^ New London School Explosion (Historical marker). New London, Texas: Texas Historical Commission. 1989. Marker Number: 11023 – via New London Museum.
- ISBN 9782875221322.
- ^ "Montaigne's tomb | le site officiel du musée d'Aquitaine".
- ^ "Montaigne's cenotaph in Bordeaux Aquitaine museum".
- ^ Skelton & Gliddon – Lutyens and the Great War, published 2008, Pages 23–47 (also see external link below: Cenotaph of Sigismunda and Lutyen's Whitehall Cenotaph)
- ^ "Buildings of outstanding or national architectural or historic interest."
- ^ "Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority". State War Memorial. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Many Waters Cannot Quench Love" http://www.straushistoricalsociety.org/documents.html
- ^ "Titanic Memorials: Archibald Butt Cenotaph, Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington, VA". Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Leachtaí Cuimhneacháin (Stone Memorials for Dead)". Aran Islands. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ Mike. "Have you been to Inis Mhór – the largest of the Aran Islands off County Galway? – Your Irish Heritage". Your Irish Heritage. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "Game Studies". September 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ A Tribute to World of Warcraft Memorials. YouTube. 13 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "In Memory of Hugh". 19 January 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Walker, John (13 January 2016). "RIP Hugh Walker, 1949–2016". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Bear – In memory of Taylor". 13 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "The top post on r/gaming right now is about a Skyrim fan's "memorial". Maybe deserving of a mod?". 8 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ Scott Kirsner (24 April 2013). "In Google's Ingress augmented reality game, a ceasefire at MIT and a memorial to slain officer Sean Collier". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
- ^ "Operation Struma". Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ "StardustForBowie, Mira in the eye of a Cyclone..." Archived 23 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. MIRA. Retrieved 19 January 2016
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (16 January 2016). "Belgian Astronomers Pay Tribute to David Bowie With New Constellation". Rolling Stone.
Further reading
- The Secret of the Cenotaph by Andrew Crompton, 1999 Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Stilling the Pulse of Time by Bruce Cole, Wall Street Journal, 8 November 2013
External links
- Media related to Cenotaphs at Wikimedia Commons
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). 1911. .
- The New London School explosion cenotaph Memorial Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Cenotaph of Sigismunda and Lutyen's Whitehall Cenotaph
- Royal British Legion article Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine