A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. Castle Ashby is a Civil parish, an estate village and the Country house in rural Northamptonshire, England. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground The term cemetery (from Greek κοιμητήριον: sleeping place) implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Cemeteries in the Western world are the place where the final ceremonies of death are observed. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings These ceremonies or rites differ according to cultural practice and religious belief. A rite is an established ceremonious usually Religious act or Process art. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos
Definition
In the Scots language or Northern English language a churchyard can also be known as a kirkyaird. Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States However, it should be noted that a churchyard can also be any patch of land on church grounds, even without a place of burial. Graveyards are almost always still owned by the place of worship that they are situated next to. The use of graveyards for burial of the dead was largely discontinued from the 19th century onwards as they were replaced by cemeteries.
Archaeology
- Further information: tomb and necropolis
Prehistoric cemeteries are referred to by the more neutral term grave field. A grave field is a prehistoric Cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. A necropolis (plural necropoleis or necropoles) is a large Cemetery or burial place (from Greek nekropolis "city of the dead" A grave field is a prehistoric Cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. They are one of the chief sources of information on prehistoric cultures, and numerous archaeological cultures are defined by their burial customs, such as the Urnfield culture of the European Bronze Age. In addition to its usual meaning in Social science, in Archaeology, the term culture is also used in reference to several related concepts unique to The Urnfield culture (c 1300 BC - 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The Bronze Age in Europe succeeds the Neolithic in the late 3rd millennium BC (late Beaker culture) and spans the entire
Early Christian history
From about the 7th century, European burial was under the control of the church and could only take place on consecrated church ground. Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service usually religious Practices varied, but in continental Europe, bodies were usually buried in a mass grave until they had decomposed. A mass grave is a grave containing multiple usually unidentified human corpses Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the break down of tissue of a formerly living Organism into simpler forms of matter The bones were then exhumed and stored in ossuaries, either along the arcaded bounding walls of the cemetery, or within the church under floor slabs and behind walls. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground An ossuary is a chest building well or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains An arcade is a passage or walkway covered over by a succession of Arches or vaults supported by columns
In most cultures those who were vastly rich, had important professions, were part of the nobility or were of any other high social status were usually buried in individual crypts inside or beneath the relevant place of worship with an indication of the name of the deceased, date of death and other biographical data. The term profession is applied to those persons who have specialized and technical skill or knowledge which they apply for a fee to certain tasks that ordinary and unqualified people cannot Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime In Sociology or Anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in Society (one's Social position) In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or A place of worship or house of worship is a building or other location where a group of people (a congregation) comes to perform acts of religious praise honour In Europe this was often accompanied with a depiction of their family coat of arms. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people
Most others were buried in graveyards again divided by social status. A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead with or without monuments such as Headstones It is usually located near and administered by a Families of the deceased who could afford the work of a stonemason had a headstone carved and set up over the place of burial with an indication of the name of the deceased, date of death and sometimes other biographical data. The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of Civilization - creating Buildings structures and Sculpture using stone from the earth A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a Burial Usually, the more writing and symbols carved on the headstone, the more expensive it was. As with most other human property such as houses and means of transport, richer families used to compete for the artistic value of their family headstone in comparison to others around it, sometimes adding a statue (such as a weeping angel) on the top of the grave. Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition
Those who could not pay for a headstone at all usually had some religious symbol made from wood on the place of burial such as a Christian cross, however this would quickly deteriorate under the rain or snow. The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. Some families hired a blacksmith and had large crosses made from various metals put on the place of burial. blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across
Graveyards replaced by cemeteries
Various conditions in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century led to the burial of the dead in graveyards being discontinued. Among the reasons for this were:
- A very sharp rise in the size of the population during the early stages of the industrial revolution
- Continued outbreaks of highly infectious diseases in towns and cities due to lack of public hygiene. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the An infectious disease is a clinically evident Disease resulting from the presence of Pathogenic microbial agents including Pathogenic viruses Pathogenic Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society organisations Many graveyards in cities were located on land enclosed within the city walls. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors
- Limits to, and lack of, space in graveyards for new headstones and dead bodies. A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a Burial
As a consequence of these reasons, city authorities, national governments and places of worship all changed their regulations for burials. In many European states, burial in graveyards was outlawed altogether either by royal decrees or government legislation. A decree is an order made by a Head of state or government and having the force of Law. Legislation (or " Statutory law " is law which has been promulgated (or " Enacted quot by a Legislature or other Governing
In some cases, skeletons were exhumed from graveyards and moved into ossuaries or catacombs. In Biology, the skeleton is a strong and often a rigid framework that supports the body of an animal holding it upright and giving it shape and strength (Also skeletal Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground An ossuary is a chest building well or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains The first Burial galleries to be referred to as catacombs lie beneath San Sebastiano fuori le mura, in Rome. A large action of this type occurred in 18th century Paris when human remains were transferred from graveyards all over the city to the Catacombs of Paris. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are a famous underground ossuary in Paris, France.
However in most places across Europe completely new places of burial were established away from heavily populated areas and outside of old towns and city centers. Many new cemeteries became municipally-owned, and thus independent from churches and their churchyards, however even these were still segregated by the faith of the deceased to be buried there. A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government
Thus cemeteries (certainly in their modern landscaped or garden cemetery form), rather than graveyards, became the principal place of burial for the deceased and continue to this day.
Modern use and styles
The earliest of the spacious landscaped-style cemeteries is Père Lachaise in Paris. Havana ( IPA: aˈβana officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the Capital city, major port and leading Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise officially cimetière de l'Est, "East Cemetery" is the largest Cemetery in the city of Paris This embodied the idea of state- rather than church-controlled burial – a concept that spread through Europe with the Napoleonic invasions, and sometimes became adapted leading to the opening of cemeteries by private companies. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions The shift to municipal cemeteries or those established by private companies was usually accompanied by the establishing of spacious, landscaped, burial grounds outside of the city limits. Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land including but not limited to living elements, such as
Cemeteries are usually a respected or protected area, and often include a crematorium for the cremation of the dead. Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire The violation of the graves or buildings is usually considered a very serious crime, and punishments are often severe. Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character -- or the disrespectful or contemptuous treatment of that which is held to be sacred by a group or individual In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment
The style of cemeteries varies greatly internationally. For example, in the United States and many European countries, modern cemeteries usually have many tombstones placed on open spaces. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a Burial In Russia, tombstones are usually placed in small fenced family lots. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending (This was once common practice in American cemeteries as well, and such fenced family plots are still visible in some older American cemeteries. )
As historic cemeteries begin to reach their capacity for full burials, alternative memorialization, such as collective memorials for cremated individuals, is becoming more common. Different cultures have different attitudes to destruction of cemeteries and use of the land for construction. In some countries it is considered normal to destroy the graves, while in others the graves are traditionally respected for a century or more. In many cases, after a suitable period of time has elapsed, the headstones are removed and the now former cemetery is converted to a recreational park or construction site. A more recent trend, particularly in South American cities, involves constructing high-rise buildings to house graves. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a [1]
Religious beliefs tend to dictate how cemeteries are viewed by the public. In the United States, Christian cemeteries are more often viewed as parkland, where family gatherings—albeit not boisterous ones—are held. Jewish cemeteries, by stark contrast, are regarded with the utmost respect and, for the most part, are personal matters rather than social.
Family cemeteries
While uncommon today, family (or private) cemeteries were a matter of practicality during the settlement of America. Horton (from the Old English meaning "muddy farmstead" in the English county of Northamptonshire was originally an estate village serving the now If a municipal or religious cemetery had not been established, settlers would seek out a small plot of land, often in wooded areas bordering their fields, to begin a family plot. Sometimes, several families would arrange to bury their dead together. While some of these sites later grew into true cemeteries, many were forgotten after a family moved away or died out. Today, it is not unheard of to discover groupings of tombstones, ranging from a few to a dozen or more, on undeveloped land. As late twentieth century suburban sprawl pressured the pace of development in formerly rural areas, it became increasingly common for larger exurban properties to be encumbered by "religious easements," which are legal requirements for the property owner to permit periodic maintenance of small burial plots located on the property but technically not owned with it. Often, cemeteries are relocated to accommodate building. However, if the cemetery is not relocated, descendants of people buried there may visit the cemetery. [2]
More recent is the practice of families with large estates choosing to create private cemeteries in the form of burial sites, monuments, crypts, or mausoleums on their property; the mausoleum at Fallingwater is an example of this practice. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. A monument is a structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of past In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons Fallingwater, also known as the Edgar J Kaufmann Sr Residence, is a House designed by American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright Burial of a body at a site may protect the location from redevelopment, with such estates often being placed in the care of a trust or foundation. In Common law legal systems a trust is an arrangement whereby Property (including real tangible and intangible is managed by one person (or persons or organizations A foundation is a legal categorization of Nonprofit organizations. Presently, state regulations have made it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to start private cemeteries; many require a plan to care for the site in perpetuity. Private cemeteries are nearly always forbidden on incorporated residential zones. Notwithstanding, many people will bury a beloved pet on the family property, knowing fully that this violates local health code.
Flowers
In American cemeteries flowers are common gifts brought to dead loved ones. They are brought during major holidays and birthdays. Privately owned cemeteries will often throw away these flowers after a few weeks in order to keep the space maintained.
Cemeteries for pets
The Cimetière des Chiens in Asnières-sur-Seine in Paris is an elaborate pet cemetery believed to be the first zoological necropolis in the world. A pet cemetery is a Cemetery for animals In addition to burying human remains many human cultures also regularly bury animal remains The Cimetière des Chiens is believed to be the first zoological necropolis in the world Asnières-sur-Seine (anjɛʁ is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. Zoology (from Greek ζῷον, zoon, "animal" + λόγος, " Logos " "knowledge" is the branch of
Cemeteries and superstition
In many countries, cemeteries are objects of superstition and legend; they are sometimes used (usually at night-time) for black magic ceremonies or similar clandestine happenings. Worms (voɐms is a City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief A legend ( Latin, legenda, "things to be read" is a Narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to Black magic or dark magic is a form of sorcery that draws on malevolent powers In Haiti the traditional belief regarding zombies as practiced under Vodou religion is connected with burial rituals. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: zombie is a reanimated human corpse Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the people being controlled vodoo, vodun, or vodoun may refer to any of West African vodun, a west African religion Haitian vodou, mostly derived It is believed that the zombified individual is buried alive in a coffin in a shallow grave after being poisoned with a mixture containing tetrodotoxin from the puffer fish to slow his heart so he appears dead even to medical practitioners. A coffin (also known as a casket in North American English) is a funerary Box used in the display and containment of deceased remains – either for Tetrodotoxin (anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin tetrodonic acid TTX is a potent Neurotoxin with no known antidote which blocks Action potentials in Nerves Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish At night, after all the burial ceremonies have been completed, a clandestine operation to dig up and take the zombified individual into slavery is undertaken by followers of the Vodou priest. This legend of zombies, as investigated by Wade Davis in The Serpent and the Rainbow, is exceptional among cemetery myths. Edmund Wade Davis (born December 14 1953) is a noted Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has Little conclusive evidence has been found for vampires or other supernatural cemetery-dwellers. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living
Cemetery preservation
South Asia
The British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia, BACSA, was set up in 1976 to care for, and to record, European cemeteries wherever the British East India Company set foot. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County Texas. British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia, BACSA was set up in 1976 to care for and to record European cemeteries wherever the East India Company set foot The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or It is estimated that some two million European men, women and children are buried in the Indian subcontinent alone. This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia.
Notes
See also
Other common types of burial places
- Necropolis
- Ossuary
- Columbarium
- Graveyard
- Churchyard
- Tomb
- Catacomb
- Crypt
- Mass grave
- Unmarked grave
- Tumulus
Specific and rarer types of burial places
- Mausoleum
- Reliquary
- Sepulchre
- Potter's Field
- Eco-cemetery
- Stupa
- Shaft and chamber tomb
- Stone ship
- Megalithic tomb
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Military cemetery
Removal of remains from cemeteries
Businesses and professions for cemeteries
Public holidays and traditions in relation to cemeteries
- All Souls' Day
- Day of the Dead
- Saturday of Souls
- Qingming Festival
- Memorial Day
- National day of mourning
Resources to find cemetery locations or names of those buried
- Obituary
- Find A Grave
- The Political Graveyard
- Poets' Graves
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Worcester County Memorial Park
Other topics related to places of burial
- Graves, cemeteries, and funerals of different religions and ethnic groups (fotographs, in German)
- Elephant's graveyard
References
- Colvin, Howard. This list of cemeteries compiles notable cemeteries, Mausoleums and other places people are buried, worldwide. Corpse roads provided a practical means for transporting corpses often from remote communities to cemeteries that had burial rights such as parish churches and chapels A necropolis (plural necropoleis or necropoles) is a large Cemetery or burial place (from Greek nekropolis "city of the dead" An ossuary is a chest building well or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains A columbarium (plural columbaria or columbariums) is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary Urns (i A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead with or without monuments such as Headstones It is usually located near and administered by a A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local Parish itself For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. The first Burial galleries to be referred to as catacombs lie beneath San Sebastiano fuori le mura, in Rome. In terms of European architecture a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek κρυπτη, kryptē) is a stone chamber or A mass grave is a grave containing multiple usually unidentified human corpses The phrase Unmarked grave has Metaphorical meaning in the context of cultures that mark burial sites. A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons A reliquary (also referred to as a Shrine or by the French term Chasse) is a container for Relics These may be the physical A sepulchre, or sepulcher, is a type of Tomb or Burial chamber A potter's field is a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people A natural burial ground, also known as a green burial ground or an eco-cemetery is a Cemetery where the body is returned to the earth to Decompose and recycle A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist A Shaft and chamber tomb is a type of Chamber tomb used by some ancient peoples for burial of the dead The Stone ship was a Germanic burial custom typical of Scandinavia, built from tightly or loosely fit slabs or stones Throughout history many Soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground Grave robbing, grave robbery or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a Tomb or Crypt to Steal the artifacts (as Illicit Body-snatching was the secret disinterment of bodies from Churchyards to sell them for Dissection or Anatomy lectures in Medical schools A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and Funeral services for the deceased and their families A funeral director (also known as a mortician or undertaker) is someone involved in the business of Funeral rites For other uses of "gravedigger" or "Grave Digger" see Gravedigger (disambiguation. The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of Civilization - creating Buildings structures and Sculpture using stone from the earth In Western Christianity, All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. The Saturday of Souls (or Soul Saturday) is a day set aside for commemoration of the dead within the Liturgical year of the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic The Qingming Festival ( Vietnamese language: Tết Thanh Minh meaning Clear and Bright Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (on May in) A national day of mourning is a Day marked by Mourning and Memorial activities across the majority of a Country 's populace such days An obituary is an attempt to give an account of the texture and significance of the life of someone who has recently died Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records The Political Graveyard is a Website and Database that catalogues information about over 180000 American political figures and political families Poets' Graves is an on-line database of the last resting places of Poets. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( CWGC) is a joint governmental organisation responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the Commonwealth Elephant's Graveyard is a special collection of B-sides and rarities from singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt. For the character on the HBO television series The Wire see Howard "Bunny" Colvin. Architecture and the After-Life. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991.
- Curl, James Stevens. Death and Architecture. Gloucestershire: Sutton, 2002.
- Etlin, Richard A. The Architecture of Death: the transformation of the cemetery in eighteenth-century Paris. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1984.
- Grossman, Janet Burnett. Greek Funerary Sculpture. Catalogue of the Collection at the Getty Villa. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2001.
- Salisbury, Mike. From My Death May Life Come Forth. A Feasibility Study of the Woodland Cemetery in Canada Earthartist
- Worpole, Ken. Last Landscapes: the architecture of the cemetery in the West, Reaktion Books, London, 2003
External links
- Hale Collection - Hale Collection of Connecticut Cemetery Inscriptions.
- New Horizons Genealogy - Contains many Pre 1940 New York Cemetery Transcriptions.
- Outsider Graphics high quality cemetery photography
- Los Naguales - Contains great images about the most famous cemetery in the north of Argentina.
- Find-a-Grave - Online virtual cemetery with photos, biographies, and virtual flowers. Includes index of famous and historical figures' burial information and grave images.
- Dust To Dust - Photos of several English cemeteries and churchyards.
- Grave Addiction - Contains photos of many cemeteries throughout the United States.
- HeadStonesGenealogyheadstone pictures and search by name for your loved ones.
- Irish Cemetery Records
- London Cemetery Project: 130 cemeteries with high- quality photos.
- Saving Graves - A collaborative effort of cemetery preservation advocates working to increase public awareness and activism in preserving, protecting and restoring endangered and forgotten cemeteries worldwide.
- Scottish Cemetery Records
- A Very Grave Matter - Contains many photos from cemeteries from the east coast of the United States.
- Cemeteries and Cemetery Symbols - Explores the meaning of cemetery symbols.
- Written in Stone - Burial locations of literary figures.
- Indian Cemeteries
- Slide show of Jewish Cemetery
- Worcester County Memorial Park, Paxton, MA
- Legacy of the Rural Cemetery Movement in America, a collection of 100 evocative cemetery photographs by Hope College Professor William Pannapacker
- Cemeteries of the World - Photoblog
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