Lantern for the Dead
The photo above shows the Oradour-sur-Glane cemetery; in the foreground is an ancient Lantern for the Dead which dates back to the 12th century. The Lantern is the tall stone column on the left in the photo. In the background of the photo, on the right, is the Ossuary which contains the ashes of the victims of the massacre in Oradur-sur-Glane on 10 June 1944. On the side of the Lantern you can see an opening which looks like a place for burning something.
According to Sarah Farmer, who wrote a book called Martyred Village, the name Oradour comes from the Latin word oratorium which means "place of prayer." Oradours were "rudimentary square chapels at the intersection of important roads." The Official Publication of the survivors of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre states that the Lantern for the Dead in the cemetery dates back to Roman times, when it was the custom to bury people at an intersection. The church in Oradour-sur-Glane was originally built in the 12th century according to Sarah Farmer.
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