god's acre

I really enjoyed the visit to God's Acre, a Moravian Cemetery in Old Salem. The history and tradition is very interesting: To this day, the Moravians bury their dead not in families, but chronologically, segregated by gender, age and marital status--reflecting how they worship. All the graves are the same showing that in death all are equal -- with none greater or lesser. And they hold their Easter sunrise service here among the dead --after brightly decorating each grave--to signify the coming together of the Church Militant with the Church Triumphant which occurs through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Check it out and contrast with the adjacent non-Moravian cemetery just to the north.

The simple grave markers arranged chronologically and separated by gender and marital status, as are the choirs in the church for the living, is unique to the Moravians and was very intriguing.

A cemetery probably isn't what most people think about as a tourist attraction, but this cemetery is worth a visit, particularly as part of a visit to Old Salem. It is a beautiful, peaceful spot, and it is very interesting to observe the progression of memorials through time. A great spot for a quiet, contemplative stroll.

This may be the oddest thing I've ever reviewed, but I frequently walk through this cemetary when I have free time at lunch. It's very peaceful.A sign tells you that Moravians worship in "circles". You join a circle, you pray with that circle, instead of with your family. Men are in different ones than women. When you die, you're buried with your circle, instead of with your earthly family. This graveyard is set up that way, which is very interesting and makes you think. Very peaceful. Very historic, many graves are pre-civil war.

You seem to get a sense of peace when you visit this cemetary, and it is beautifully kept. We have friends who are resting here. All graves are marked, exactly the same way, and all people are considered the same.

A great place to stroll in peace and tranquility. The lives of all the past Moravians here in a final resting place seems the perfect conclusion to a trip to Old Salem. I am sure many people visiting Old Salem are unaware of this quiet corner tucked away on a side street.

This place is worth walking or taking a run through. It is very calming. It was also interesting looking at the grave stones . It is so well kept and respectful to the deceased and their families.

This is an unusual and beautiful graveyard - uplifting, oddly enough. If you've walked through Old Salem, this seems like a fitting part of that.

I like cemeteries. This one did not disappoint. Spread out was a neat philosophy of how to approach life, and death. All the neat and uniform headstones - we were looking for the people who had come from Europe and it was interesting to see where the original Moravians, and the converts along the way, had come from. Easy location to the north of Old Salem.

God's Acre wasn't even on our Old Salem map, but the lady at the Visitor's Center suggested it, and we're glad she did. Not having families buried together was new to us, but it demonstrated the influence and practices of the Moravian church. The graveyard is beautiful, as photos show, but spend time reading the gravestones, most with Scriptural quotes, the remaining with poetic quotes.

This is very neat to see. So many gravestones old and new. It was really interesting to learn how people in the cemetery are divided up. All the headstones are the same shape and size but many have different embellishments.

Very meaningful. Starts very early and continues through sunrise.at Gods Acre. A hallmark of Winston-Salem heritage

Very nice I had never heard of the Morevian Church Our guide was very good. We toured the church and was told about how they built an addition over the graves of some of the people and how they have been preserved them was very interesting.

The simplicity of this graveyard is what makes it so stunning. I love that all of the gravestones are the same - no matter male or female or what that person's status may have been while they were alive. This was definitely a highlight of our visit to Old Salem. We enjoyed walking around the serene grounds reading the inscriptions on the headstones. It was beautifully kept.

Opens one up to how Moravians view their life on earth and the beyond. Like no other cemetery I have seen.