Temporary grave cross - a name and dates until the headstone is in place

Cross options and prices

Installation is included if our gravediggers are preparing the grave. If the cross is ordered later, or is needed at a village cemetery, delivery and installation are charged separately to cover travel costs.

Wording on the plaque

The plaque is fixed to the centre of the cross and usually carries three lines: first name and surname, date of birth and date of death. Some families add a few words, such as "Eternal memory" or "Remembered and loved". The letters are engraved or applied with a special paint that stands up to sun and rain. The family sends us the text in writing, and before printing we check the spelling once more, because even a single mistake in a name is deeply painful for those left behind.

If the person had two names - for example a baptismal name and the name everyone actually called them - both can appear. The inscription can be in Georgian, Russian, English or two languages at once, whatever the family decides.

Making and setting up the cross

1. Order: the family chooses the type of cross while preparing the funeral, usually on the first or second day.
2. Text: the family sends the name and dates, and we reply with a proof of the plaque for approval.
3. Production: the plaque is ready within a day, and crosses are always kept in stock.
4. Installation: on the day of the funeral, while the gravediggers shape the mound, the cross is set on whichever side was agreed with the family, firmly enough that neither wind nor settling soil will tip it over.

Placing the cross: which end of the grave

Customs differ between regions and between families, and sometimes the family's spiritual father decides where it should stand. So we always ask the family first, and if they are unsure, we consult the priest or the village elders. On many older cemeteries the direction of the graves is also set by the surrounding plots, and the gravediggers make sure the cross lines up with the neighbouring crosses and headstones and does not block the path.

Materials: why pine, and why metal

Our wooden crosses are made from seasoned pine or beech timber. The lower section, which goes into the ground, is treated with an antiseptic so it does not rot in damp soil, and the upper part has several coats of varnish against sun and rain. A carved cross uses a thicker beam, with the ornament cut by hand or on a machine. The metal cross is welded from steel profile tube and finished with powder coating, which keeps rust away. It is heavy and is anchored in a small concrete footing, so wind and ground movement barely shift it.

The mound and the wreaths around the cross

On the funeral day, when the gravediggers fill in the grave, they build the mound up high, because the earth sinks over the first few months. The cross goes in at the edge of the mound, in firm undisturbed ground rather than in the fresh fill, so that it stays upright. Wreaths are arranged on the mound and around the cross, larger ones at the back and smaller ones in front, so the name plaque remains visible. Ahead of ormotsi, the remembrance held on the fortieth day, once the fresh flowers have wilted, we clear them away carefully and leave or tidy the artificial ones, as the family wishes.

Looking after the cross in the first year

A wooden cross copes well with the weather, but after the first winter the varnish may dull a little, and as the ground settles the cross can lean slightly. This is entirely normal. During a grave-care visit or before the 40th-day memorial, our staff straighten the cross and refresh the varnish if needed. Families who live far away receive photographs afterwards.

Families living far from the grave

Families in another city or another country may visit the grave only once or twice a year, and they often worry about whether the cross has survived the winter. That is why many add a cross check to their first-year grave care plan. A member of our team goes to the cemetery once or twice a season, straightens the cross, wipes the plaque, tidies the mound and sends photos.

Taking down the cross when the headstone goes up

When the headstone is ready, usually around the first anniversary, the temporary cross is removed before the foundation is laid. Families often feel a special attachment to this cross, because for a whole year it carried the name of someone they loved. So we never simply throw it away. Depending on the family's wishes, we take it down carefully and hand it back to relatives, burn it according to the cemetery's custom, or stand it behind the new headstone inside the railing. Some families keep it at their house in the village.

If the headstone will take longer

Not every family is in a position to install a headstone by the first anniversary, and sometimes a temporary cross stays in place for two or three years. In that case we recommend the metal cross, which handles long spells of bad weather better, or a yearly re-varnish for the wooden one. We keep the mound around the cross in good order and, if the family likes, add a temporary border so the grave has a neat outline. When the family is ready for a headstone, one call is enough and we will plan it together.

Family plot with a headstone already standing

If the person has been buried in a family grave beside a parent or spouse, where a large headstone already stands, a temporary cross is sometimes unnecessary. Many families then choose a small temporary plaque that lies on the mound in front of the headstone until the new name is engraved on the existing stone. A plaque with the name and dates costs the same as a cross. When the engraving is done, we remove it and give it to the family.

For other faiths and for non-religious families

The wooden cross belongs to the Orthodox and, more broadly, the Christian tradition. For members of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches, the shape of the cross is slightly different, and we make it according to their guidance. For Muslim and Jewish graves we prepare a temporary plaque or a simple post with the name and dates instead of a cross, with or without the symbol of the tradition. For non-religious families we offer a neutral wooden plaque.

Frequently asked questions