gravminne

Gravminne is a term used in Swedish and Norwegian to denote a memorial placed at or near a grave to commemorate a deceased person. It can also refer to the memory of the person preserved by such a memorial. The word combines grav (grave) and minne (memory). In practice, a gravminne may take the form of a headstone (gravsten), a grave marker such as a plaque, a cross, a small sculpture, a family mausoleum, or another monument within a cemetery, churchyard, or memorial park.

Inscriptions typically include the deceased’s name and birth and death dates, and often a short epitaph or quotation. The material and design vary by country, region, and cemetery; common materials include granite, marble, bronze, or other durable substances, with maintenance needs shaped by climate and weather exposure.

Gravminne serves both personal remembrance and cultural rituals surrounding death. It functions as a focal point for commemorations (anniversaries, All Saints’ Day, or Memorial days) and as a navigational landmark within a burial site. The concept overlaps with related terms such as minnesmärke (memorial) and gravmonument (grave monument) and with the broader practice of funerary art.

Care and regulation of gravminne typically fall to family members or cemetery authorities. Rules may regulate inscriptions, dimensions, maintenance responsibilities, and renovations; in some jurisdictions, permissions are required to alter or replace a gravminne.