About the Foundation Stones of Latvian Rural Cemeteries

Cemetery foundation stones are neither particularly widespread nor extensively studied in Latvia. Currently, seven such stones are known with an engraved text in Latvian and/or the year and dating from 1814–1933. These stones are placed in the central, most visible, usually highest place of the cemetery and an inscription, as well as the year are engraved on them, definitely confirming the importance of the stone in connection with the founding of the cemetery. It seems that the tradition of cemetery foundation stones has its roots in the Middle Ages, when rural cemeteries often had separate large stone crosses or stones with carved crosses and other signs. It is assumed that the signs carved on cemetery foundation stones could have had a symbolism that was understandable at the time, but later forgotten. The desire to install such stones could have been rooted in so-called folk Christian beliefs. For example, in Vietalva, the first person buried in the new cemetery had to be a virgin, preferably named Ieva. The foundation stone of the Mākoņkalns Vecstašuļi cemetery, emphasizing the age of the deceased, contains a text that the first person buried here died at the age of 17, and in the Trākši cemetery, according to legend, the first person buried was a virgin. The engraved texts are heterogeneous and erroneous from a linguistic point of view. In the future, other cemetery foundation stones will certainly be identified in Latvia, marking a currently little-known aspect of Latvian cultural history.