Catholic cross stitch pattern for Lent and All Souls: Memento Mori

Cross stitch on a light mocha background, featuring a medieval skeleton knight on the left, a skeleton lady in an orange dress on the right, a brick church at the top, a border with frogs, snakes, candles, and a tombstone. Center text of the sampler reads "Remember O Man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return" — Memento Mori (view A) cross stitch design © Rebecca Górzyńska 2022

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Half a year in the planning (and nearly a month delayed because of a back-to-school sickness that had me feeling like death), I am excited to present my second published cross stitch pattern – a Catholic, medieval Halloween/All Souls’ Day/Lent-themed sampler on the theme of Memento Mori!

Memento Mori, Latin for “Remember that you will die,” is an ancient subject of Christian meditation, particularly around the feast of All Souls (November 2) and during the penitential season of Lent. This cross stitch sampler is offered in both orange and purple color schemes and in two levels of complexity, with options for a lengthy petit point text and a shorter text using only standard size crosses. (Bonus – if you don’t fancy skeletons, I’ve also included a “Not Skeletons” chart where the lord and lady have skin 😉 ) Get the pattern here!

Cross stitch on a light mocha background, featuring a medieval skeleton knight on the left, a skeleton lady in a purple dress on the right, a brick church at the top, a border with frogs, snakes, candles, and a tombstone. Center text of the sampler reads "Remember O Man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return" — Memento Mori (view B) cross stitch design © Rebecca Gorzynska 2022

SYMBOLISM:
The Text: “Remember O Man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return”
In the Catholic Church, this line from Genesis 3:19 is said by the priest while anointing the congregation with ashes on Ash Wednesday.

The Church: The design is loosely based off our 16th-century parish church, St. James the Apostle in Tarchomin, Warsaw.

Apple Trees: Each with seven fruits, these stand for the Tree of Life and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Seven Deadly Sins.

Butterflies: White for purity, they symbolize the Resurrection and transformation in Christ.

The Figures: Poses, armor, and clothes are based off a drawing of a gravestone slab showing the figures of Richard Appleby and his wife Elizabeth, dated 1527, from Leicestershire, England, though the armor and dress are perhaps older in style. The lady’s headdress may be a steeple hood, the type worn by Henry VIII’s grandmother, Margaret Beaufort (d. 1509). The colors are imaginary.

Other motifs:
Snake (temptation in the garden, original sin); Frog (once associated with evil/death, although I think these are pretty cute); Red Candle (Passion of Christ); Tombstone with “RIP” (Requiescat in pace, lat. ‘Rest in Peace’).

Four variations of the same cross stitch sampler featuring a skeleton knight and lady, a church, and a tombstone. The two views on the left are on a light background with the text "Remember O Man that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return"; the views on the right have a black background and the text "Dust to dust" — Views A, B, C, and D of “Memento Mori” cross stitch design. All variations included in the pattern!

The original design, and the one I’ve stitched, is View A – orange color scheme on a light background with a lengthy section of delicate petit point text in the middle. Petit point is not difficult per se – it’s exactly like regular cross stitch, but as each cross is sewn over ONE thread of the fabric instead of two, it’s super tiny! However, it requires extremely good lighting and eyesight, which is why I highly recommend Views A and B be stitched on linen or other evenweave fabric (NOT Aida) and on a light-colored background.

I created full charts and keys for views B, C, and D to make the design more accessible and more versatile. The purple color scheme of views B and D is perfect for Lent, the option of a black background provides a punch of contrast, and the shorter “Dust to dust” in regular size crosses allows for the elegance of the text style to be maintained while making the design easier to stitch.

If visibility is an issue for you, I suggest following the chart and color key of view A or B (light-colored background) and simply switch to chart C or D for the text portion, substituting a darker thread such as DMC 3799 (Pewter Grey VY DK) for the letter outlines.

photo of cross stitch on a light colored linen background, in a primitive motif style, of a tree with green leaves and red apples, and a small Gothic brick church flanked by two trees with orange leaves. Gothic text delicately stitched below spells the first half of the word "Remember"

Photo of cross stitched skeleton knight with whispy grey hair and hands folded in prayer, stitched on a light colored linen background

MEMENTO MORI counted cross stitch pattern PDF.
135 x 159 stitches, intermediate level.
NO STITCH TUTORIALS INCLUDED.
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This PDF pattern includes:
1) Four Color Variations
View A – orange (petit point text)
View B – purple (petit point text)
View C – black orange
View D – black purple
2) Key for each color variation
3) “Not Skeletons” bonus chart
4) Pattern on single page for seamless viewing on phone/tablet
5) Pattern divided to print on 8.5×11” or A4 paper
6) Pattern using symbols on color blocks
7) Pattern using black and white symbols
8) Pattern on single page *without backstitch* for reference for easier legibility of symbols underneath
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Views A and B: 8076 stitches. Techniques used: cross stitch, backstitch, fractional stitches, French knots, and petit point.
Views C and D: 6184 stitches. Techniques used: cross stitch, backstitch, fractional stitches, and French knots.