Jon Solo Sebastian 10/10/2025:

Have you ever heard of The Angel of Death Victorius? It’s a statue, or grave marker, known by that name and as the Haserot Angel, and it resides in the Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. I’ve written other pieces about cemeteries and paranormal activity in the past—see my piece on Kate Blood here. This story is only slightly similar in that the Angel of Death Victorius appears to be crying black tears, and Kate Blood’s tombstone has been said by witnesses to allegedly drip with blood. Now that you’ve returned from reading about Kate Blood, let’s get back to the Haserot Angel.

While there isn’t anything creepy or out of the ordinary about the Haserot family, the bronze statue guarding over their burial site has become a haunted attraction for people to visit. Visitors have been said to hear and see strange things near the Angel of Death, and if we’re being honest, with a name like that, we should expect something in the creepy category to accompany this visitation.

“The Angel of Death Victorious,” the stoic angel is seated on the marble gravestone of canning entrepreneur Francis Haserot and his family. The life-size bronze holds an extinguished torch upside-down, a symbol of life extinguished. Her wings are outstretched and she gazes straight ahead.” The statue was sculpted in 1919, by Herman Matzen of Denmark. While it’s already a gorgeous work of art, the “tears” on her face due to oxidation has brought to it an eerie and hauntingly beautiful addition. Looking at the photos of the Angel of Death, you can see why others like; Elliot Ness, James Garfield, and John Rockefeller who are buried there get overlooked. No offense to them, but a statue weeping black tears takes precedence over the others, in my opinion… at least for sight seeing purposes, of course.

Whether Matzen had known the bronze would oxidize and create the tear effect, or it was more incidental due to the elements of moisture and changes in temperature, we can’t say, but what we got is an angel that is weeping with those who are there in mourning. She is watching over the dead while also acknowledging the loss of others—at least that’s my interpretation.

“The statue stands as a bridge between worlds, a silent custodian of the threshold between the living and the dead, inviting those who pass by to ponder the mysteries it embodies.”

Have you visited The Angel of Death Victorius statue? Is it on your bucket list? It’s only about forty-five minutes from where I live, so I’m going to go check it out real soon! I’ll be sure to take photos while I’m there, and add them to this post, or to my Instagram… if you’re not following me on there, please do so I can look cooler than I really am! @ jonsolosebastian on Instagram if you’re interested. I post random things involving horror, nerd stuff, cryptids, my Halloween decorations, etc.

I wish I could get some witness reports of any paranormal activity near the statue, but maybe I’ll come back with my own stories!!

Have a great day/night, and as always, thank you for visiting and reading!