Merry Cemetery in Săpânța

The Merry Cemetery is located in the center of Săpânța commune, in Maramureș County, in the parish churchyard. The oak crosses are carved and painted in vivid colors, with Săpânța blue as the background. The tradition began in 1935 with the work of the craftsman Stan Ioan Pătraș.

On the crosses you can see scenes from the lives of the buried: occupations, events and portraits accompanied by epitaphs in verse. Some inscriptions tell humorous stories about the person commemorated. Walking among the rows of graves, you can follow both the paintings and the texts, and the place is still used as the village cemetery.

Photo: Săpânța Town Hall. Image cropped and resized.