Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Crypt
*** Shopping-Tip: Crypt
{{this|the stone chambers called "crypts"|Crypt (disambiguation)}}
Image:Bayeux-crypte1.JPG 200px|thumb|Crypt of Bayeux, France
Image:Crypte de St Sernin Toulouse.jpg thumb|right|200 px|crypt [[Saint-Sernin Basilica Toulouse]]
In
medieval terms, a '''crypt''' (from the
Latin ''crypta'' and the
Greek language Greek ''kryptē'') is a stone chamber or vault, usually beneath the floor of a church, usually containing
tombs of important personalities such as
saints or saints'
relics, or high ranking church officials. 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
Ech-Cheliff 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 are 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 architecture Gothic period crypts were rarely built.
In modern terms a crypt is a stone chamber or vault used to store the deceased. Crypts are usually found in
cemetery cemeteries and in religious buildings such as
cathedrals but are also occasionally found on personal estates. Wealthy or prestigious families will often have a "family crypt" in which all members of the family are stored. Many
royal family 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.
Category:Death customs
da:Krypt
de:Krypta
et:Krüpt
fr:Crypte
lb:Krypta
nl:Crypte
pl:Krypta
pt:Cripta
ru:Крипта
sv:Krypta
zh:地下墓室
*** Shopping-Tip: Crypt
