Graveyard. Place where the mortal remains or corpses of the deceased are deposited.
Summary
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- 1 Cemetery function
- 2 Other definitions
- 3 types of cemeteries that exist
- 1 Necropolis
- 4 Burials
- 5 Sources
cemetery function
The function of the cemetery is to deposit mortal remains, but depending on the culture of the place, the bodies can be placed in coffins , coffins or sarcophagi, or simply wrapped in cloth, to be buried underground or deposited in niches, mausoleums or other types of graves .
Other definitions
The word cemetery comes from the Greek term koimetérion, which means bedroom because, according to Christian belief, in the cemetery, the bodies slept until the Day of Resurrection. Catholic cemeteries are also called graveyards, since in Pisa, when following hygiene measures, the authority ordered the closure of the cemetery, which had been built in the 13th century within the city, the land was covered with a large layer of earth, which the Pisan galleys had brought from the holy places of Jerusalem .
Usually, cemeteries are community cemeteries, that is, in that place the tombs of the members of the community are found, without becoming collective tombs, since each deceased has their own determined space although, by family decision, several relatives can also be buried. In the same place.
Types of cemeteries that exist
Public and private cemeteries may be of three types:
- Traditional
- mixed
- ecological park
Most of the cemeteries are dedicated to human corpses although, since ancient times, there have been necropolises for certain animals, such as the Serapeum of Saqqara, in Egypt . Currently there are also animal cemeteries to bury deceased pets.
necropolis
The necropolis is a kind of large cemetery for the burial of human corpses. Its etymology comes from the Greek and means city of the dead (necro, dead or corpse, and polis, city).
It is generally used to designate cemeteries belonging to large cities, as well as to refer to burial areas of ancient civilizations.
They were founded in response to the prohibition of burials within urban limits to avoid epidemics and generally the access road to them was finely ornamented with funerary monuments, such as the Appian Way in Rome , Italy and the Hierapolis in Pamukkale , Turkey .
Some necropolises stand out, such as the Giza Necropolis , in Egypt , located in the so-called Valley of the Kings , erected for the purpose of preventing the theft of the rich grave goods of Egyptian pharaohs and nobles.
Also significant is the necropolis located in the Archaeological Park of San Agustín in Colombia , dating back more than 2000 years BC, where the chief chiefs of the American ethnic groups were buried.
In Spain and Portugal there are preserved necropolises from the time before Christ , such as the Celtiberian ones, and later ones, from the Repopulation in the Middle Ages (9th-11th centuries), such as the Necropolis of Cuyacabras, in the Province of Burgos . During the 19th century , monumental necropolises enjoyed a revival, encouraged by Victorian fashion, with large and elaborate tombs. In Cuba, the Colon Necropolis located in the country’s capital is recognized worldwide for the richness and beauty of its tombs and ornaments .
graves
Cemeteries can have the following types of graves:
- Vault-niches, located at ground level, organized with pavilions and niche galleries.
- Crypts, located underground, where the tombs are organized allowing the access of companions and floral devices.
- Chapels, with tombs above and below the surface, organized to allow the access of people and floral devices. They have a door and can also have an ossuary in the basement.
- Niches, which are constructions in the form of a building, and which can have up to six floors.
- Graves on land, are those that allow the burial of one or more corpses underground.
The dimensions are the same as in the previous case. The separation between graves must not be less than 0.30 m., except in the case of graves built underground in prefabricated modules (groups) of reinforced concrete (floors, walls and cover), in which the separation between graves will not be applied. The minimum height of ground cover will be 0.80 m, except for those coffins that are protected by one-piece concrete boxes to prevent the collapse of the ground, in which case the minimum height of ground cover will be 0.40 m.
- Columbarios, the niches for cenizas of corpses.
- Cineraries, for ashes of corpses on land.
- Ossuaries, for bone remains.
As usual, cemeteries are governed by laws and regulations to contribute to their care and conservation.