A crypt is a burial chamber that holds the casketed body of the deceased. It can be above ground in a mausoleum or below ground in a lawn crypt. Modern-day crypts for the average person are usually located in public mausoleums. Costs are similar to in-ground burial but the casket stays in a clean and dry environment.
Crypt Burial: Mausoleum Vs. Crypt
We usually think of crypt burial in the form of an underground stone chamber, like beneath a church or cathedral. These indoor burial grounds house numerous tombs and sometimes date back centuries, such as the Roman Catacombs. However, today’s mausoleums offer different types of crypts that are affordable and beautiful. Lawn crypts and public mausoleums protect your loved one’s casket and give your family an indoor space to pay your respects.
Types Of Crypts
It’s a good idea to become familiar with the different types of crypts if you are considering it for your own future burial. Planning ahead and taking care of the financial portion is a wonderful gift for your family. When the time of your death arrives, your family will know exactly what you want them to do.
Planning for an immediate funeral and interment means you need to make quicker decisions. In either case, this quick guide to crypts will help in your process.
Lawn crypt
Lawn crypts are underground mausoleums, usually for one or two people, such as a married couple. It’s a space-saving option that keeps the caskets dryer than typical in-ground burial. Lawn crypts may sometimes be large enough to hold a family.
Since they do not have an entryway, visiting your loved one’s lawn crypt is similar to visiting a regular cemetery grave. You pay your respects at the headstone or memorial marker.
Companion crypt
Companion crypts in mausoleums are meant for side-by-side (horizontal) or head-to-toe (tandem) entombment. Sometimes one casket is over the top of another. The type of placement may have different associated costs, so it is always a good idea to speak with cemetery personnel to understand their site’s offerings.
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus crypt is an above-ground stone receptacle that encloses the deceased’s casket. This type of entombment was popular in the United States through the 1950s. New Orleans has many fine examples of sarcophagus crypts. Due to its high water table, above-ground burial is a common practice.
The Warner Tomb in Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery is a beautiful example of a sarcophagus and of funerary art in general. It represents a female lifting the lid of William Warner’s (1780-1855) casket in order to release his soul to heaven.
Private family mausoleum
Private mausoleums offer a place for a family’s generations to mourn their losses out of the public eye. They ensure privacy while enshrining loved ones in beautiful surroundings. These crypt housings are found on private property, as well as within cemetery grounds.
A huge benefit of private family mausoleums is the ability to personalize them. They bring an added sense of dignity to a family’s burial plot and provide a personal, indoor setting for families to gather.
The Taj Mahal is one of the best-known examples of a private mausoleum. Even though millions of visitors flock to this site each year, only two people are entombed here. Emperor Shah Jahan had this beautiful memorial built after the death (during childbirth) of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It remains the symbol of their unending love.
The higher costs for building elaborate private family mausoleums restrict the number of families who can afford this option. Costs start in the tens of thousands of dollars and rise with size and embellishment. So today, most families opt for space in public mausoleums.
Below is an example of a family crypt within a cemetery.
Public mausoleum
Public mausoleums are secure buildings where large numbers of caskets are entombed. They are open to anyone who chooses to purchase a crypt there. As inner-city cemeteries fill and available land dwindles, more public mausoleums are rising. Sometimes they are multi-storied, sprawling buildings covering large areas.
Mausoleums are elegantly decorated spaces with benches for families to quietly reflect and remember their loved ones.
Garden mausoleum
Garden mausoleums have room only for crypts. There is no inside visiting area, so you visit outside of it, similar to visiting a grave. There is sometimes a covered area over two or more walls of crypts, but in general, the crypts are outdoors.
Below is an example of a garden mausoleum in Puyallup, Washington. It offers clean and dry space for caskets and some weather protection for visitors.
One well-known example of a garden mausoleum is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Memorial Cemetery. This beautiful memorial to soldiers who lost their lives in valiant service is guarded 24 hours per day and visited by millions each year.
Columbarium
Columbariums are another crypt option, but instead of housing caskets, they hold the cremated remains of your loved one inside an urn. Columbariums come in many sizes. They may reside inside a mausoleum so that you can visit in a climate-controlled atmosphere. Or they may be smaller monument sites spread throughout a cemetery.
My parents share a columbarium niche in Louisiana. Originally both of their ashes were in identical urns. However, due to the size of the niche, we moved one parent to a smaller bronze box, so that both urns could fit into the niche. Although my sisters and I felt disappointed to change the urn, we are glad that they both still fit together.
How Much Do Crypts Cost?
The total cost for crypt entombment in a public mausoleum is very similar to that of in-ground burial at most cemeteries. The reason is that you need some of the same items. For example, you will purchase a casket for both choices.
The popularity of a particular cemetery or mausoleum can drastically affect the price range. So if cost is a concern, you may check with a smaller cemetery to learn about their mausoleum offerings. Let’s look at some of the other requirements for each type of burial.
As you can see, with either choice, you still pay for the space itself. Then there’s the cost of opening and closing the grave or crypt for casket placement. Some mausoleums place caskets inside protective liners before sealing them inside the crypt. And most cemeteries now require a burial vault to protect caskets and gravesites from the use of heavy maintenance equipment used.
For maintenance of the cemetery or mausoleum, families generally pay 5% to 15% of the plot fee as an endowment. This is usually added to the cost as a one-time payment, but it might be billed annually, depending on the business.
Finally, the purchase of a headstone is part of the in-ground burial. While an engraved nameplate is part of the mausoleum entombment.
In general, you can expect to pay $3,000 to $6,000 for a single crypt space in a public mausoleum. Of course, location plays a large part in this equation, as spaces in California tend to be much higher than spaces in Mississippi, for example. And finally, large metropolitan areas with less available land space also charge a premium for crypts.
Is A Crypt The Same As A Grave?
As you’ve read here, a crypt can be located above- or below-ground. It differs from a grave because it is much larger than a burial vault. It can also be shared by members of one family or by the general public.
Do Bodies Decompose In Crypts?
Yes, bodies decompose in crypts. No matter where they are buried and regardless of embalming, bodies naturally decompose over time. In crypts, the casket often has a small opening that allows air to circulate. This speeds the decomposition process by helping the body to dry and desiccate.
There is generally no odor in well-built and maintained mausoleums since the crypts are constructed with a very slight backward lean. Modern crypts are complete with drainage holes and ventilation ports, so any odors are whisked away.
Conclusion
Crypt burial is a very common practice throughout humanity’s time. There are many options that make indoor burial affordable while keeping your loved one’s casket clean and dry. Check costs and options in local cemeteries if your family is thinking that a mausoleum entombment is best.
- Crypt costs in public mausoleums are similar to that of in-ground cemetery burial.
- Personal family crypts offer dignity and privacy for generational entombment.
- The ability to visit indoor mausoleums no matter the time of year or weather conditions is appealing to many families.