Mausoleum of the Archangels

In Mythology, Death is often depicted carrying an hourglass, measuring how much time we have left. His job is to collect souls after our lifespan is up, this span being pre-determined by the Three Fates: Klotho, who spins the thread of life, Atropos who weaves the tapestry of our life, and Lachesis, who measures the length of our thread.

Time passes for all of us, and in the end, we all end up in some variation of a burial plot.

The Mausoleum can trace it's name back to Mausolus, and the amazing tomb constructed for him by his widow, Artemisia. I still wonder why the body, and not the one responsible for the building received the credit.

This structure has become a landmark in the South Suburbs, partially because of it's size, but mostly because of the polished aluminum frame that resembles a sunburst that crowns the building. It's impossible to miss when you're driving through the intersection at 115th & Ridgeland. Inside, the Mausoleum features life-size statues of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This type of mausoleum is also known as a "garden crypt." Unlike the more time-honored mausoleum layout, the burial vaults are in the exterior walls, thus eliminating interior corridors.

The cemetery has quite a history. It was the first to open after World War I, the first to have lawn-level grave markers, and the first to implement the policy that all future care was included in the cost of the grave. It's the resting place of Richard J. Daily, and one of the few cemeteries to offer upright headstones, albeit with strict requirements. The Mausoleum of the Archangels was dedicated by Cardinal Bernardin in 1993.

This pano was shot in HDR, three exposures per photo.

I shot this same area a few years back for "Energy," but my technique, equipment and software have all improved, so I thought this would be a good time (ha ha) to revisit it.

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USA-Canada / USA-Illinois

Lat: 41° 41' 0.96" N
Long: 88° 47' 39.36" W

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

Canon 40D, Sigma 8mm lens, Agnos TCP short, PTGui, Pano2VR 2, Photoshop CS4.