To the left lies the Vesta City Cemetery, where my father, grandparents and other family members are buried. In the distance you can see the grain elevator complex in my hometown.
AS A YOUNG GIRL, I remember fearing cemeteries, that place where my paternal grandpa was laid to rest atop a rare prairie hill when I was just nine.
A historical marker in the Holden Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Kenyon.
But my view of cemeteries has evolved over the years so that today I see these earthly resting spots as places of faith, art, history and personal stories.
A fence surrounds the Urland Lutheran Church Cemetery in the Sogn Valley area.
I no longer focus on the bones buried beneath my feet or the newly-departed lying under a heaped mound of dirt. Rather, I find myself reading tombstones, marveling at carved stone, wondering about the lives of those who lie within the often fenced boundaries of graveyards.
The picturesque Valley Grove Church Cemetery near Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.
In particular, I am drawn to country cemeteries that my husband and I happen upon during leisurely Sunday afternoon drives in rural Minnesota.
Northwest of Faribault in Shieldsville Township sits the historic Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and the adjoining Trebon Cemetery.
Spot a spire spearing the sky and we typically find a cemetery tucked behind or aside the church. Convenient and comforting.
Folk art in the Trebon Cemetery honors Christ and the deceased.
During this Holy Week, when Christians worldwide focus on reflection and repentance and the suffering and crucifixion of Christ, it seems fitting to revisit some of the Minnesota cemeteries I’ve explored.
Just west of New Ulm, at a memorial honoring Milford settlers who died in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, roses were placed on the marker on Memorial Day weekend 2006.
There is much to learn here about those who went before us—those we loved and those we never knew.
Fields and a cemetery embrace many country churches like Vista Evangelical Lutheran Church in southern Minnesota.
Words to ponder at a cemetery in Theilman in southeastern Minnesota.
Handcrafted signs like this one in Cannon City (near Faribault) grace some rural cemeteries.
An art appropriate cannon marks a Civil War Veteran’s tombstone in the Cannon City Cemetery.
A simple grave marker in the Urland Lutheran Church Cemetery.
A well-tended family plot in the Trebon Cemetery.
A compelling statue of the Virgin Mary in Trebon Cemetery.
A beautiful nature-themed tombstone rests in a cemetery on the west side of New Ulm.
Stone against stone at Hauge Lutheran Church (the Old Stone Church) in Monkey Valley, rural Kenyon.
My dad’s military marker in the Vesta City Cemetery.
This post was previously published at streets.mn.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Oh, my the stone church in Kenyen….that speaks to me.
And once a year a worship service is held there.
See this post: https://mnprairieroots.com/2010/06/27/inside-the-old-stone-church-rural-kenyon-minnesota/
And this post: https://mnprairieroots.com/2010/06/29/preserving-the-past-at-the-old-stone-church-kenyon-minnesota/
A lovely post!! That 3rd photo is spectacular!!!! (The obvious among the most scene!) The camera lens isolates the extraordinary from the expanse so that our finite minds can better assess and appreciate. Blessings to you and your family this Easter!!!! Hugs…………………
Thank you. That fence image actually won a spot on a Thrivent Financial calendar several years ago.
🙂
You know that I love this post, right?? My kind of place to discover and capture through the camera. Great pictures. I love it.
Yup, I knew that.
Beautiful Captures – love the nature-themed tombstone:) Thanks for sharing – Happy Thursday!
Some of the tombstones I’ve discovered are pretty incredible and artsy.
One of our shared interests among many Audrey. Cemeteries just draw me in, for the same reasons that you highlight in your post. So you know I’m loving this one! The Trebon Cemetery and church make me want to jump in the car and visit…and I will, someday. I especially love the garden plot, most cemeteries wont allow such a plot, because of maintenance. I think it’s beautiful! Great photo’s…love the Fence picture.
I, too, really like the Trebon Cemetery, for so many reasons: location, history, quaintness, setting, unique art and, yes, even that plot. I’ve never seen a mini flowerbed like this at a gravesite and I also thought it quite beautiful.
That fence image won in a Thrivent Financial photo contest several years ago and was published on the company’s calendar.
That’s very moving, Audrey, especially today, being Good Friday. I love the image of the gorgeous church – such lovely architecture. So many stunning tombstones too. I always find wandering around a cemetery very moving xx
That’s a good word choice/reaction– moving.
I love country cemeteries. They seem much more peaceful to me than the city variety. Not that it matters much to the residents, but I still want to be in a rural one when my time comes.
I agree. There’s something about a country cemetery…
Thanks for sharing this photo’s. Now i can imagine , how peacefull the cemetries are there in the country.
You are welcome.