St. George Cross in Cemetery - Hermann, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 42.328 W 091° 26.735
15S E 635159 N 4285239
Cemetery from St. George Catholic Church on W. 4th St., but several blocks west of the church...
Waymark Code: WM130HX
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 08/21/2020
Views: 0
County of cemetery: Gasconade County
Location of cemetery W. 4th St. & St. George Cemetery Rd., Hermann
Number of graves: 1,300
This cross is huge, maybe 25 feet tall...looks like concrete, painted white. Inscribed on the front:
O
Crux
Ave
Spes
unica
Ave crux, spes unica is a Latin pious expression or motto meaning "Hail to the Cross, our only hope." The expression has a long history in Catholic and Anglican piety and is a motto occasionally used by bishops and church institutions.
" Before entering St. George Cemetery, take a moment to view the Missouri River bottoms.
Imagine a time when the river flowed from bluff to bluff. Hermann residents had the opportunity to
witness this during the floods of 1993 and 1995. As you walk through the cemetery, notice the old
iron crosses, somewhat unique for a German community that prided itself on stone and brick. The
first Roman Catholic cemeteries in the area used wooden and wrought iron crosses. Local
blacksmiths made the iron crosses, a generations-old tradition brought here by the Germans. In
the Protestant cemeteries, the earliest gravestones were made of cotton rock and sandstone cut by
local artisans. A number of these, dating from the 1850s, can be seen in the Hermann City Cemetery on East Hill." ~ Hermann Hill Three Mile Walk