The words mausoleum and crypt are sometimes used interchangeably. But there are some differences. Rather than a below-ground burial, caskets are entombed above ground in buildings. This type of entombment started centuries before Egypt’s pharaohs were buried in the pyramids. And while mausoleums are not quite as elaborate today, they still offer a dignified manner to lay our loved ones to rest.
What Is A Mausoleum?
Mausoleums are above-ground chambers used to house one or more crypts. A crypt is an individual space where a person is laid to rest. Mausoleums may be large buildings housing hundreds of burial spaces. Or they may be smaller spaces to house a family’s caskets in perpetuity. This guide to mausoleums will help you decide if it’s a good burial choice for you.
How Are Caskets Placed In A Mausoleum?
Your family will have a funeral service for your loved one in the same manner as you would for a cemetery burial. The service itself may be at the funeral home or a church, that portion doesn’t change. After the funeral, your loved one will be transferred to the mausoleum, where your family is welcome to attend a committal service.
Instead of this portion being outdoors, next to a gravesite, it will be inside the building next to your loved one’s crypt. Pallbearers place the casket on a special lift. After the committal service and your family’s final farewells, the casket is lifted and rolled into its final resting place.
Depending on the mausoleum’s practices, the casket might be wrapped in a protective case before placement. Then the inner door (usually steel or sheet metal) to the crypt is placed and sealed before the final decorative cover (often marble or granite) is returned. Your family chooses the wording for the decorative cover, which will usually be added within a couple of weeks.
How Are Bodies Stacked In A Mausoleum?
Public mausoleums often have hundreds of caskets in multi-storied buildings. They are designed with individual crypts for entombment, which are stacked as high as 10 or 12 on a wall. Top ventilation and lower drains help keep them odor-free.
Mausoleums are mainly built of reinforced concrete and are usually finished with marble, granite, or other stone. Because the burial occurs indoors, mausoleums offer protection from nature’s elements. This appeals to many people who can’t stomach the thought of being placed underground after death.
What Happens To A Body Buried In A Mausoleum?
Bodies buried in a mausoleum deteriorate in much the same way as those buried belowground. Even embalmed bodies eventually decompose. In a mausoleum, the caskets rest at a very slight back and downwards angle. This allows any decomposition matter to drain out and be moved away from public places.
Rather than remaining entirely airtight, as in the ground, entombed caskets are “burped” to allow naturally-occurring bodily gases to escape. This opening in the casket also allows airflow inside, which helps the body to dry and aids in decomposition.
Well-constructed and maintained mausoleums should not have an odor. Check for smells when making the selection for interring your loved one.
How Much Does A Mausoleum Cost?
The cost to be entombed in a public mausoleum is comparable to a cemetery’s in-ground burial plot. For a single crypt in an indoor mausoleum, prices range from $3,000 to $6,000. However, you will pay a premium for well-known or exclusive mausoleums. Prices in one of these can skyrocket to tens of thousands of dollars.
As odd as it sounds, crypts at an eye-level cost more than those higher up the wall or lower at its base. So if you want to entomb a loved one in a climate-controlled environment, but don’t mind kneeling down to visit, then the cost savings may prove enticing.
Some garden types of mausoleums are more affordable, especially if you are located in a flood plane, such as New Orleans. Most cemeteries there have above-ground burial in individual burial vaults or family crypts.
Family Mausoleum Cost
The cost for private family mausoleums has no upper limit. A simple building may cost $25,000 to $30,000. But as soon as you add decorative touches, statuary, benches, or especially an interior visiting area, costs race into the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.
Private family mausoleums are constructed in cemeteries, as well as on private land. The public may be able to visit the outside of these structures but are likely barred from entrance.
Paris’ famous Père Lachaise Cemetery has multiple private mausoleums inside it. Some of its famous inhabitants include musicians Jim Morrison and Frédéric Chopin, as well as Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde. This beautiful place of tribute to lives well-lived gets about 3.5 million visitors each year. It hosts a fine example of above-ground individual burial plots and private family tombs.
Advantages of Mausoleum Entombment
There are many advantages to being entombed in a mausoleum, compared to an in-ground cemetery burial.
As I just mentioned, the notion of being cleaner, dryer, and protected from the elements appeals to many families. My mother was adamant that she not be placed under the ground, where insects might possibly be able to reach her. This was so important to her, that upon her death she asked to be cremated and then interred in a columbarium.
Mausoleum burial gives mourners a controlled environment for visiting the deceased, no matter the weather outside. While you may not feel comfortable visiting a loved one’s grave in the deep cold of winter, stepping into a mausoleum gives you time to pay your respects while being protected from inclement weather.
Likewise, entombment can occur year-round without regard to the seasons. In areas with high-water content or prolonged periods of frozen ground, burial may prove a bit more challenging.
From an environmental standpoint, mausoleum entombment reduces the amount of land required for cemetery burials. As larger cities run out of land, mausoleums provide an alternative with their ability to house so many caskets on a smaller footprint. This may appeal to you if you lean towards greener principles of living.
Disadvantages of Mausoleum Entombment
The largest fear factor that people experience in regards to mausoleum entombment is that the casket may explode from the buildup of gases as your body decomposes. Technically, yes, this is a possibility. But it is not very likely to happen in today’s well-constructed and ventilated mausoleums. As I mentioned, the process of “burping” caskets to allow them to air greatly reduces gas buildup.
Another disadvantage to some families may be the higher cost of family interment in a private mausoleum. Building a family mausoleum also has a very large price tag. However, just like in cemeteries, family members can pre-purchase adjacent crypts in public mausoleums at a significantly lower cost than building privately.
What Does “Mausoleum” Mean?
The term mausoleum comes from the Greek King Mausolus, who was buried in Halicarnassus. His tomb was built from 353 to 350 BC and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. King Mausolous is now most known for this beautiful shrine, which was built for him by his wife (and sister) Artemisia. Below is a portion of the remaining carved relief at his burial site.
Building elaborate shrines and monuments started much earlier than King Mausolus, however. Tumulis in the Eastern Saharas date as early as 4,700 BCE. A tumuli is a mound of earth and stone covering one or more graves. They are also called barrows or burial mounds. Cairns are still found all over England, Scotland, and Ireland. They are rock-covered graves, which likely had their start as a tumuli.
Later the Egyptians created pyramids for the entombment of wealthy and royal families. So you can see that above-ground burial is a long-honored tradition.
Columbarium vs Mausoleum
While mausoleums house bodies inside their caskets, columbariums hold the cremated remains of the deceased inside an urn. Mausoleums may have a section delegated to urn placement. But sometimes they are in a separate building altogether. Most cemeteries now have columbariums interspersed throughout the grounds. They can be smaller sites that hold 20 or fewer urns. But they can also be large sites holding hundreds of urns.
Conclusion
Whether you choose in-ground cemetery burial or mausoleum entombment for yourself or your loved one, just remember that you have many choices. Visit different locations to find one that fits your family’s style and budget. It is easy to see why above-ground burials have been popular for thousands of years.
- Mausoleums offer year-round comfort for paying respect to the deceased.
- Above-ground entombment protects the casket from nature’s elements.
- Public mausoleums have similar prices to cemetery plots.
- Private family mausoleums can be built on private land and offer a place for generational burials.
