Gabriel the Archangel - Dickeyville, Wisconsin - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

The Entry Statuary of Archangel Gabriel
On either side of the entry are a pair of painted concrete and metal (trumpet) statues of the angel Gabriel. These statues are approximately 5 foot in height and depict the angel in a flowing robe and tunic. His wings reach from the ground to above his shoulders. He his holding a trumpet which is to signal the Second Coming.

Information on Archangel Gabriel

In the Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an archangel, first described in the Hebrew Bible.

In the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27). The archangel also appears in the Book of Enoch and other ancient Jewish writings. Alongside archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending its people against the angels of the other nations.

The Gospel of Luke relates the stories of the Annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively (Luke 1:11–38). Many Christian traditions—including Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism—revere Gabriel as a saint.

Islam regards Gabriel (Jibril) as an archangel sent by God to various prophets, including Muhammad. The first five verses of the Al-Alaq, the 96th chapter of the Quran, is believed by Muslims to have been the first verses revealed by Jibreel to Muhammad.

The Latter Day Saints hold that the angel Gabriel is the same individual as the prophet Noah in his mortal ministry.

Yazidis consider Gabriel one of the Seven Mysteries, the heptad to which God entrusted the world and sometimes identified with Melek Taus.

According to the ancient Gnostic manuscript, the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Gabriel is a divine being and inhabitant of the Pleroma who existed prior to the Demiurge.

- Wikipedia Entry on Gabriel

My Commentary on the rest of the Cemetery:
This cemetery is open - trees are few and located at the perimeter, although there are a couple around the Cruxifiction Group. The cemetery is approximately 1.5 acres and contains 1500 graves. There is limited space for more.

The Entry Arch
The side supports are brick, fifteen foot in height, and are topped with a concrete base with an orb on a pedestal. The actual arch is wrought iron with two arched bands and wire webbing between them. Atop the uppermost band is wrought iron scrollwork and an ornate cross. The words of this prayer is on the wire webbing:

Most Merciful Jesus
Grant Them Eternal Rest

Crucifixion Group
From the entry arch, a concrete sideway, 70 yards long, leads to a circle which contains a three figure Crucifixion statue group. The group consists of Christ on the Cross; Mary, Mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; and Saint John. This group is made of marble and is life-size. The pedestal is covered in all sorts of bits of different materials and is the first piece of artwork completed by Father Wernerus.

Information on the Cemetery:

Original cemetery site dates to the founding of the Holy Ghost Parish in 1872. In 1920, the layout was altered to accommodate the earliest folk-art installations created by Father Mathias Wernerus. At this time, Wernerus directed that some trees be cleared from the cemetery, and the space was reorganized. In addition to a fence and entry gate, some burial plots were shifted to make room for a central straight path leading directly south to the Crucifixion Group.

The cemetery contains elements of the Holy Ghost Park folk art installations. The first is the Crucifixion Group, a statue group on a pedestal bought in 1920 to commemorate the deaths of three Dickeyville men in World War I. Wernerus embellished the pedestal and flower urns with all manner of decorative materials set into concrete, including glass, stone, shells, china, and gems. This represents Wernerus's first foray into the medium for which the Holy Ghost Park would become famous. The second installation is the Grotto of the Holy Eucharist, located at the northeastern corner of the cemetery. It is an open-fronted structure with a highly decorated niched altar inside, constructed of concrete panels and encrusted with tiles, stones, shells etc.

The Holy Ghost Cemetery dates to the founding of the parish on this site in 1874. Since that time, historic mapping and aerial photographs suggest the location of the cemetery has remained the same. However, the layout of the space was rearranged in 1920 at the direction of Father Mathias Wernerus. At this time, Wernerus oversaw the clearing of trees from the cemetery, the construction of a fence and brick entry posts with a wrought iron gate, and the reorganization of the space to accommodate a central pathway leading directly south to the Crucifixion Group."

- Wisconsinhistory.org

Associated Religion(s): Jewish, Christian, Islam, Latter Day Saints, Yazidi, Gnostic Statue Location: Entrance of Holy Ghost Catholic Cemetery Entrance Fee: free Artist: unknown Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.

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