Columbarium

Acolumbarium(/ˌkɒləmˈbɛəri.əm/;pl.columbaria), also called acinerarium,is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage offunerary urnsholdingcrematedremains of the dead. The term comes from theLatincolumba(dove) and originally solely referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons, also calleddovecotes.

TheSan Francisco Columbarium

Background

Roman columbaria were often built partly or completely underground.TheColumbarium of Pomponius Hylasis an ancient Roman example, rich in frescoes, decorations, and precious mosaics.

Today's columbaria can be either free standing units, or part of amausoleumor another building. Some manufacturers produce columbaria that are built entirely offsite and brought to acemeteryby large truck. Many moderncrematoriahave columbaria. Examples of these are the columbaria inPère Lachaise Cemeteryin Paris andGolders Green Crematoriumin London.

In other cases, columbaria are built into church structures. One example is theCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels(Los Angeles, California), which houses a number of columbarium niches in the mausoleum built into the lower levels of the Cathedral. The construction of columbaria within churches is particularly widespread in theCzechoslovak Hussite Church.An example can be seen at the Church of St Nicolas inOld Town Square (Prague).In theRoman Catholic Church,although traditional burial is still preferred,cremationis permitted provided that the cremated remains are entombedand that the cremation is not done for reasons contrary to the Catholic faith. As a result, they are within some Catholic cemeteries.

Columbaria are often closely similar in form to traditionalpagodaswhich function as in-situ columbariapavillionsatBuddhist temples,which from ancient times have housed cremated ashes. InBuddhism,ashes may be placed in a columbarium (inChinese,anaguta( "bone-receiving pagoda" ); inJapanese,anōkotsudō( "bone-receiving hall" ), which can be either attached to or a part of a Buddhist temple or cemetery. This practice allows survivors to visit the temple and carry out traditional memorials and ancestor rites.

Gallery

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  Columbarium wall, with flowers, plaques, and empty niches
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  Detail of the columbarium atPère Lachaise Cemetery,Paris
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  A modern columbarium in a small town (Ebingen,Germany)
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  Interior of columbarium atChapel of the Chimesin Oakland, California. Some of the cinerary urns are book-shaped.
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  Columbarium atArlington National Cemeteryin Virginia. Each niche is covered with a marble plaque.
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  Columbarium and Funerary Chapel,EpiscopalChurch of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania),United States
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  Etruscancolumbarium atCava Buia,Blera,Italy
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  A traditional Japanese columbarium at the Takidani Fudōmyō-ō Temple,Osaka,Japan
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  A modern Chinese-style columbarium atNan Tien TempleinWollongong,Australia

Caves in Israel

Columbarium cave in Hirbat Midras, archaeological sites of Israel

In theBeit Guvrinarea several series of large caves dug into soft rock were found. There were several theories about their original use, for ritual burial, for growing pigeons to be used for ritual sacrifice, or for raising pigeons for fertilizer production. One such cave had been covered by an earthquake close to the time of its original usage and had no signs of secondary usage; neither ashes nor pigeon droppings were found in it.

See also

• Catacomb
• Charnel house
• Crypt
• Grave
• Ossuary
• Reliquary

External links

• Photographs and commentary on ancient Roman columbaria
• Columbarium with inner ossuary
• "Columbarium".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.
• "Columbarium".New International Encyclopedia.1905.