Crypt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A crypt (from Latin crypta "vault") is a stone

chamber beneath the floor of a church or other
building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi,
or religious relics.

Originally, crypts were typically found below the

main apse of a church, such as at the Abbey of
Saint-Germain en Auxerre, but were later located
beneath chancel, naves and transepts as well.
Occasionally churches were raised high to
accommodate a crypt at the ground level, such as St
Michael's Church in Hildesheim, Germany.

A crypt in Wola Guowska, Lublin Province, Poland

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Development
3 Burial vaults
4 Gallery
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Etymology
"Crypt" developed as an alternative form of the Latin "vault" as it was carried over into Late Latin, and came to
refer to the ritual rooms found underneath church buildings. It also served as a vault for storing important
and/or sacred items.

"Crypta", however, is also the female form of crypto "hidden". The earliest known origin of both is in the
Ancient Greek (krupto/krypto), the first person singular indicative of the verb "to conceal, to hide".

Development
First known in the early Christian period, in particular North Africa at Chlef and Djemila in Algeria, and
Byzantium at Saint John Studio in Constantinople. Where Christian churches have been built over mithraea, the
mithraeum has often been adapted to serve as a crypt.

The famous crypt at Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, developed about the year 600, as a means of affording
pilgrims a view of Saint Peter's tomb, which lay, according to the Roman fashion, directly below the high altar.
The tomb was made accessible through an underground passageway beneath the sanctuary, where pilgrims
could enter at one stair, pass by the tomb and exit, without interrupting the clerical community's service at the
altar directly above.[1]

Crypts were introduced into Frankish church building in the mid-8th century, as a feature of its Romanization.
Their popularity then spread more widely in western Europe under Charlemagne. Examples from this period
are most common in the early medieval West, for example in Burgundy at Dijon and Tournus.
After the 10th century the early medieval requirements of a crypt faded, as church officials permitted relics to
be held in the main level of the church. By the Gothic period crypts were rarely built, however burial vaults
continued to be constructed beneath churches and referred to as crypts.

Burial vaults
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 interred. Many royal families, for
example, have vast crypts containing the bodies of dozens of former royalty. 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 a trend in the 19th century of building crypts on 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 will not allow this area to be re-developed.

Gallery

Crypt of Canterbury Crypt of Worcester Crypt of Rolduc Abbey, Crypt of St Bavo's

Cathedral Cathedral Netherlands Cathedral, Ghent,
Belgium

Crypt of Bayeux Crypt Saint-Sernin Wasserkirche, Zrich, St. Matthias' Abbey,

Cathedral, France Basilica Toulouse with 'Martyr stone' of Trier, Germany
Felix and Regula
 Wettin crypt in Crypt of Swedish royal
Katholische Hofkirche, dynasty (Bernadotte)
Dresden

See also
Catacomb
Mausoleum
Tumulus
Ossuary
Tomb
Cemetery

References
1. Apollonj Ghetti, et al. eds. Esplorazioni sotto la confessione di San Pietro. Eseguite negli anni 1940-
1949 (Citt del Vaticano, 1951) 1:173-93, noted in Werner Jacobsen, "Saints' Tombs in Frankish Church
Architecture" Speculum 72.4 (October 1997:1107-1143) p. 1134 note 70.

External links
Media related to Crypt at Wikimedia Commons
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Crypt". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University
Press.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crypt&oldid=764556062"

This page was last edited on 9 February 2017, at 16:28.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.