Everything about Crypt totally explained
In
medieval terms, a
crypt (from the
Latin crypta and the
Greek kryptē) is a stone chamber or vault, usually beneath the floor of a church or
castle, usually used as a
chapel or
burial vault possibly containing
sarcophagi,
coffins or
relics of important persons such as
saints or high ranking church officials.
Description
Churches were occasionally raised above ground level to accommodate a crypt at the ground level, such as
St. Michael's Church in
Hildesheim, Germany. Crypts are typically found below the
apse such as at
Saint-Germain en Auxerre, but occasionally found beneath church wings and
naves. First known in the early Christian period, in particular North Africa at
Orleansville and
Djemila in
Algeria, and
Byzantium at
Saint John Studio in
Constantinople, crypts were first used and spread widely in western Europe under
Charlemagne, they're most common in the early medieval West, for example in
Burgundy at
Dijon and
Tournus. After the 10th century the need for crypts faded, when Church officials permitted relics to be held in the main level of the church. By the
Gothic period crypts were rarely built.
Burial vaults
» Main article: Burial vault (tomb).
In more modern terms, a crypt is most often a stone chambered
burial vault used to store the deceased. Crypts are usually found in
cemeteries and under public religious buildings, such as
churches or
cathedrals, but are also occasionally found beneath
mausolea or
chapels on personal estates. Wealthy or prestigious families will often have a 'family crypt' or 'vault' in which all members of the family are stored. Many
royal families, for example, have vast crypts containing the bodies of dozens of former royals. In some localities an above ground crypt is more commonly called a
mausoleum, which also refers to any elaborate building intended as a burial place, for one or any number of people.
There was also a trend in the 1800s of building crypts into medium to large size family estates, usually subtly placed on the edge of the grounds or more commonly incorporated into the cellar. After a change of owner these are often blocked up and the house deeds won't allow this area to be re-developed.
Image:Bones in St. Eusebius church, Arnehm.JPG|Inside the crypt of St. Eusebius church, Arnhem
Image:Victorian_house.jpg|1800s house today
Image:Cellar_crypt.jpg|The crypt has been bricked up
Examples
Further Information
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