Tombstone Tuesday-Curtain Symbol

A curtain on a tombstone symbolizes the passage from one life to the next, the passage from one existence to another. Curtains conceal and block the view of something and they also provide protection. A curtain is sometimes referred to as a veil. 

Curtain symbol, Riverside Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio.

The inscription on this tombstone is a good example of a curtain. The curtain, which is pulled back, indicates that the pathway to the next life has been revealed and is open. The unbroken column on the left indicates that the persons lived full and complete lives.

Curtains and veils are of great Biblical significance and are mentioned several times in the Bible. A curtain or veil covered the Ark of the Covenant. It symbolized the entrance to the presence of God and protected mortals from the Ark’s radiance. The temple curtain was torn in two after Christ’s crucifixion, signifying that Christians had a pathway into the presence of God.  

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