The Merry Cemetery is a cemetery in the village of Săpâna,Maramureş county,Romania. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.

The unusual feature of this cemetery is that it diverges from the prevalent belief, culturally shared within European societies – a belief that views death as something indelibly solemn. Connections with the local Dacian culture have been made, a culture whose philosophical tenets presumably vouched for the immortality of the soul and the belief that death was a moment filled with joy and anticipation for a better life (see also Zalmoxianism).

The cemetery's origins are linked with the name of Stan Ioan Pătraş, a local artist who sculpted the first tombstone crosses. In 1935, Pătra carved the first epitaph and, as of 1960s, more than 800 of such oak wood crosses came into sight. The inscription on his tombstone cross says: Romanian De cu tînăr copila Io am fost Stan Ion Pătra Să mă asculta oameni buni Ce voi spune nu-s minciuniCîte zile am trăit Rău la nime n-am dorit Dar bine cît-am putut Oriicine mia cerutVai săraca lumea mea Că greu am trăit în ea English Since I was a little boy I was known as Stan Ion Pătraş Listen to me, fellows There are no lies in what I am going to sayAll along my life I meant no harm to anyone To anyone who askedOh, my poor World Because It was hard living in it

Romanian Sub aceasta cruce grea Zace biata soacra-mea Trei zile de mai traia Zaceam eu si cetea ea. Voi care treceti pa aici Incercati sa n-o treziti Ca acasa daca vine Iarai cu gura pa mine Da asa eu m-oi purta Ca-napoi n-a inturna Stai aicea draga soacra- mea English Under this heavy cross Lies my poor mother in-law Three more days she would have lived I would lie, and she would read (this cross). You, who here are passing by Not to wake her up please try Cause' if she comes back home She'll criticise me more. But I will surely behave So she'll not return from grave. Stay here, my dear mother in- law!

The Merry Cemetery crosses in pale blue color The Merry Cemetery crosses in pale blue color. The tombstone of Stan Ioan Pătraş ( ), the Merry Cemeterycreator.

The church behind the Merry Cemetery. The gate decorated according to the ritual of Maramureş.