Pillarisation (from verzuiling in Dutch) was a vertical religious and political segregation in the Netherlands that stood for over a century and ended during the 1960's. Despite nearly every facet of society being separated, a Protestant colonel of the Dutch Cavalry known as JWC van Gorkum married a Catholic woman by the name of JCPH van Aefferden in 1842. This marriage caused social controversy from both worlds. The couple, enamored of each other's strength, wanted to spend not only their life together but to lay beside each other for all eternity. However, due to the social order, graveyards would not allow for the combining of different religious peoples on their sectioned land. The only solution, in the eyes of the late JCPH van Aefferden, was to set their graves on the perimeters of both the Protestant and Catholic section. Divided by a break wall, the two graves are connected by stone hands.
While at first, this tomb comes off a bit creepy, once you know the story behind the face - it's quite romantic. This man loved his wife so much that his tomb stone was built to look like him gazing at his wifes face. This sentiment was so sweet that his grave has become very famous. In fact, Arbelot's gravestone has long outlived his art and music!
LOVE IN THE AFTERLIFE.
Linked Headstones of Het Oude Kerkhof
Fernand
Aberlot