When one thinks about the places in which the dead are interred (if one thinks, but let’s face it, if you’re reading this blog then you’ve probably thought about it), the first image that probably comes to mind is that of a cemetery. Cemeteries, after all, are generally located within view of the public and may occupy several blocks or acres of both the urban and rural landscape.
But cemeteries are not the only repositories for the dead.
Catacombs
A catacomb is, most simply a subterranean cemetery “composed of galleries or passages with side recesses for tombs.” Catacombs may be formed naturally or man-made.
Paris Catacombs
One of the most famous catacombs is located in Paris.
Beneath the streets of Paris stretches 300 kilometers of subterranean tunnels, shown in the map below.
(Map of the catacombs created by the IGC (Inspection Générale des Carrières), 1857. )
During the Greco-Roman period, in Lutetia, what would later become Paris, many of the city cemeteries were becoming overcrowded. This persisted into the 18th century to the point that in 1786 remains were being removed from cemeteries. The only place deemed necessary to re-house the dead were the subterranean tunnels, which were “consecrated as the ‘Paris Municipal Ossuary’.” Later, they would become known as the Paris Catacombs, in reference to the Roman Catacombs discussed below. In 1809, the catacombs were first open to the public.
(The Paris Catacombs (n.d) https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history/site-history )
Roman Catacombs
While the Paris Catacombs are an example of a naturally occurring structure used to house the dead, the Roman Catacombs were entirely built by humans.
Due to the persecution of early Christians under Roman Emperor Nero, Christianity was considered to be an ‘illicit religion’ and burials were driven underground, literally. Under the direction of deacon Callixtus, under Pope Zephyrin, the excavation of the catacombs began towards the end of the 2nd century into the 3rd. The Roman Catacombs are comprised of 40-50 different catacombs, varying in depth from two to five stories deep.
A map of the Roman Catacombs drawn by Reverend Jon Northcote in 1891.
(Northcote, Rev. J. (1891))
A drawing by Reverend Jon Northcote depicting the depth and layers of the Roman Catacombs.
(Northcote, Rev. J. (1891))
In 1891, Reverend Jon Northcote wrote about his experience after visiting a portion of the catacombs, offering this (one of many) description:
“At the depth of fifteen to twenty feet we shall probably find ourselves landed in a dark narrow gallery…a gallery about 3 feet wide, and perhaps seven or eight feet high, cut out of the living rock, and its walls on either side pierced with a number of horizontal shelves, one above the other like the shelves of a bookcase. We need hardly be told that each of these shelves once contained a dead body, and had then been shut up by long titles or slabs of marble, securely fastened by cement, and inscribed perhaps with the name of the deceased or with some Christian emblem.”
The shelves of Santa Priscilla in the Roman Catacombs as described by Northcote.
(Bernard, Elyssa (2023) https://www.romewise.com/catacombs-of-rome.html)
Many of the martyrs during the Christian persecutions were buried within these catacombs. Christian laymen would try to arrange their own burials to be within close proximity to these martyrs as they believed it would “establish a mystical nearness in heaven (The Vatican, accessed 2024).” Other rooms may hold the remains of a single family, or act as a place of religious congregation where mass would be held.
Crypts
A crypt is a wholly or partially underground repository for the dead. The Latin crypta refers to any vaulted building partially or wholly underground.
Crypt, Canterbury Cathedral (12th century), England.
(A.F. Kersting (n.d), https://www.britannica.com/technology/crypt)
The first known crypts were located in Italy, Greece, and South Africa. In Ancient Rome, early Christians erected crypts on top of the tombs of saints and martyrs. After the council of Mainz approved internment within the Church, crypts beneath churches became highly common.
This approval for internment led to a change in the manner in which churches were constructed. In some churches, the choir floor was raised, allowing for the crypt to have access to the nave (the central part of the church). Stairs would be constructed leading from the choir to the crypts. Some churches simply utilized cellars which were already established as the new crypt. In some churches, such as those in Early England, the crypt operated as a second church where mass or other ceremonies would be held.
Not all crypts reside within churches, such as those located within some German Town Halls. Likewise, there are different types of crypts. We have already discussed church crypts, but there are also mausoleum and lawn crypts.
A mausoleum crypt refers to a chamber inside a mausoleum, in which the body is stored, almost like a nesting doll of internment.
A mausoleum located at Evergreen Cemetery
(Kyla Hammond (2024))
A lawn crypt may be an above ground, or wholly or partially underground, chamber located within a cemetery that houses more than one casket.
The Crypt of the Capuchin Friars
The Capuchin Crypt
(Dnalor 01 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32641593)
One of the most famous, and visually stunning, crypts is the Capuchin Crypt located in Rome, Italy. The Chiesa de Santa Immacolata or the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception of Capuchin Friars was established in the 17th century. In 1624, Capuchin Cardinal Antonio Marcello Barberini requested land from his brother Pope Urban the VIII to build a church.
(Zenou, Theo (2023). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/decorated-with-4000-skeletons-this-roman-church-will-have-you-pondering-your-own-mortality-180981573/)
Below the church is the Capuchin Crypt the first remains to be housed here belonged to friars who had been previously interred at the old friary. Today, the skeletal remains of nearly 4,000 friars adorn the walls and ceiling. And they do truly adorn these walls, having been arranged like works of art. Scauplas surround skulls like wings, ribs and vertebrae coming together to create ornate flowers.
(Zenou, Theo (2023). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/decorated-with-4000-skeletons-this-roman-church-will-have-you-pondering-your-own-mortality-180981573/)
The concept of Momento Mori was deeply ingrained within the Capuchins’ religion, the purpose of the crypt was to act as a place in which one may become comfortable with one’s own mortality. Although it is unknown who started the artistry or when, it is believed that it began in the 18th century by one of the resident friars.
Columbaria
(Sean111111 at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3838805)
Unlike catacombs and crypts, columbaria houses only cremains (cremated remains), which consist of a series of stacked enclosures, or niches. The first known Columbaria were built in Ancient Asia by Buddhist monks, these were large buildings that resembled Buddhist temples. The term “columbaria”, however, originates from the Italian ‘Columbra’, which means dove. Ancient Roman columbaria were originally houses for doves or pigeons rather than cremains.
In Ancient Rome, cremation was common before the proliferation of Christianity. Columbaria (for cremains, not birds) were constructed and maintained by funeral societies and were designed in the style of Etruscan or Republican house tombs, “rectangular brick structures built around an open court, the walls of which contained niches for the urns (Britannica, accessed 2024).”
The San Fransisco Columbarium
San Fransisco Columbaria
(Dignity Memorial (n.d), https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-columbarium-funeral-home/8131?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organic)
One of the most notable columbariums in the United States is the San Fransisco columbarium.
The San Fransisco Columbarium was built by the fraternity of Odd Fellows in 1895 as an attachment to an already established crematory. The Columbarium was partially inspired by Herbert Hargrave’s, a Cremation Association of America member from Fresno, California, tour of East Coast crematories. Hargrave found these crematories to be lacking in aesthetics, many had no columbaria or used a bookshelf with minimum niches. After his tour, Hargrave stated “I firmly believe that more cremation results by way of the beauties of a Columbarium. The act of cremation should be considered as a means to the beauties of the Columbarium Prothero, 2001).”
San Fransisco Columbaria
(Dignity Memorial (n.d), https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-columbarium-funeral-home/8131?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organic)
Hargrave was not wrong in his belief that more visually pleasing columbaria would lend itself to more cremations. The San Fransisco Columbarium performed 24% of the cremations in the United States in the late 1800s.
(Dignity Memorial (n.d), https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-columbarium-funeral-home/8131?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organic)
However, the Columbarium was briefly abandoned when San Fransisco banned cemetery burials and cremations in 1902 to 1910. The Columbarium fell into disrepair until it was bought by the Neptune Society in 1980. The Neptune society carried out a redesign in the Baroque and Greco-Roman styles, and the Columbarium now houses 8,500 niches in total.
Inside the Columbarium
(Dignity Memorial (n.d), https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-columbarium-funeral-home/8131?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organic)
Conclusion
Although cemeteries may be the more popular option for internment, they are not the only repositories for the dead. Throughout history, humans have looked for and created special spaces to house the remains of those we love. In addition to acting as a house for the dead, these spaces may also act as a place of religious congregation, such as with the Roman Catacombs and Capuchin Crypt.
Some of these spaces may be located within cemeteries, like Lawn Crypts, or they may stand alone.
References
Britannica (n.d). Catacomb. Britannica. www.britannica.com/topic/catacomb
Britannica (n.d). Columbarium. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/columbarium
Britannica (n.d). Crypt. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/crypt
Columbarium USA (Accessed 2024). Columbarium: It’s More than Just a Resting Place. Columbarium USA. https://www.columbariumusa.com/columbarium-its-more-than-just-a-resting-place/
Come to Paris (n.d). The Catacombs of Paris. Come to Paris. https://www.cometoparis.com/paris-guide/paris-monuments/the-catacombs-of-paris-s955
The Neptune Society. (n.d.). The San Fransisco Columbarium. https://www.tridentsociety.com/columbarium/#:~:text=Cremation%20and%20cemetery%20burials%20were,transfer%20their%20beloved’s%20remains%20elsewhere.
Northcote, Rev. J. (1891). A Visit to the Roman Catacombs. Project Gutenberg. Ebook.
Prothero, Stephen (2001). “The Business of Cremation.” In Purified by Fire, 105-127. University of California Press.
The Catacombs of Paris (e.d) (n.d). Site History. The Catacombs of Paris. https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/history/site-history
The Vatican (e.d) (n.d). The Christian Catacombs. The Vatican Pontifical Commission of Archaeology. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/archeo/inglese/documents/rc_com_archeo_doc_20011010_cataccrist_en.html
Williams Funeral Homes (2022) What is a crypt? Williams Funeral Home. www.williamsfh.com/what-is-a-crypt
Zenouy, Theo (2023). Decorated With 4,000 Skeletons, This Roman Church Will Have You Pondering Your Own Mortality. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/decorated-with-4000-skeletons-this-roman-church-will-have-you-pondering-your-own-mortality-180981573/
