Everything about tombstones in France

The funeral tomb, or funeral monument, is a structure intended to perpetuate the memory and to materialize the location of a burial. There are several types of graves, or tombstones, depending on whether the coffin is isolated from the ground or not, and depending on the size and height of the monument:

• the vault

• the full earth tomb

• or the niche (mainly in the South of France)

You can also refer to the article about the most common burial models.

The vault

The vault is the most common burial in France. It is a concrete structure buried underground, under the monument, which isolates the coffin from the earth.

There are several types of vaults:

• the simple vault, where the coffins are stacked one above the other with separating slabs

• the head-to-tail vault, where two coffins can be arranged per level, head-to-tail relative to each other. It is built on a 2m² concession

• the double vault, where two coffins can be placed side by side per level. It is built on a 4m² concession

Contrary to what one might think, the vault is not watertight. It lets water through. This prevents the "cork effect", where the vault could rise to the surface if a major flood were to occur in the cemetery. The water could "push" the entire vault out of the ground, which would not look good.

The "level" closest to the ground, which can be seen in the illustration above, is called the "crawl space." It is an empty space about 50cm high in which it is forbidden to bury a coffin. However, it is entirely possible to bury one or more urns in this location.

The advantage of the vault, in addition to isolating the coffin from the earth and thus ensuring better preservation of the coffin, is that it also serves as a "foundation" for the monument located above and thus provides great stability for the entire tomb.

Its disadvantage is that it is more expensive than a full earth burial and may take longer to install, which can be inconvenient when time is short during funeral preparations.

The full earth tomb

The full earth tomb, as its name suggests, is a tomb dug directly into the ground, where the coffins are stacked one on top of the other, and to which 1 meter of soil must be added on top. There is about 50cm of space for each coffin. Thus, for a 1-place full earth burial, you would need to dig 1.5m deep, and 2m deep for 2 places.

Some religions recommend that burial only be done in full earth. This is particularly the case for Muslim funerals: full earth burial is mandatory. In countries that allow it, France is not one of them, burials are done without a coffin in full earth for Muslim ceremonies. In addition, the deceased must be oriented towards Mecca.

Nowadays, it is forbidden to build new confessional cemeteries. All cemeteries must be able to accommodate all religions. However, for reasons of maximizing land use and practicality due to the specific orientation of Muslim burials, they are often grouped together in a particular section of the cemetery.

In many cemeteries, at the same time as the full earth burial, it is mandatory to build a footing (see definitions below). Its purpose is to delimit the burial and prevent visitors from inadvertently walking above the coffin.

For concessions of 30 years or more, or if you want to place a granite footing (instead of cement/concrete) or a monument, it is also necessary to build a false compartment (designated by the "concrete" arrow in the illustration above). This will act as a "foundation" and prevent the burial from collapsing over time.

The main advantage of the full earth burial is its very modest cost.

The niche (enfeu)

The enfeu is an above-ground compartment in which the coffin is placed. An enfeu can accommodate one or more coffins. It is mainly used in the south of France and Europe. It can be likened to a columbarium but for coffins instead of urns.

In a more historical context, enfeu was a tomb embedded in the walls of various religious monuments such as churches, cathedrals, or basilicas. In the past, these were reserved for religious figures, nobles, or important people.

The internal regulations of cemeteries

In many cemeteries, especially in large conurbations, the internal regulations of cemeteries have become very strict. It is important to find out what is possible and what is not before considering the construction of a tomb.

Among the most common obligations/restrictions, we can note:

• the prohibition of constructing a monument with a polished surface. This is considered dangerous and slippery when it rains. A bush-hammered (and therefore rough) monument is mandatory in some cemeteries.

• requirements concerning the color of the stone. For reasons of homogeneity and aesthetics, some cemeteries prohibit certain stone colors, such as black or blue. The same goes for metal or plexiglass monuments, obviously.

• restrictions concerning the shape of the monument. For the same reasons as the stone color, it may be forbidden to construct a monument that would completely break away from the aesthetics of other monuments, or even be offensive.

• the obligation to install a footing for a full earth burial. This is used to delimit the burial space and prevent visitors from walking on the grave.

• the obligation to install a false compartment for full earth concessions of 30 years or more, to prevent the grave from collapsing.

For classified cemeteries, an architect from the French Historic Monuments Agency may even be involved in validating the construction or renovation of a tomb.

The different elements of a tomb

As with everything related to architecture in general, the naming of tomb elements is based on specific terms that are often unknown to non-experts. Here are the main terms, grouped together in the following illustration.

For each of these elements, there are aesthetic variations, each with their names. These are discussed in a specific guide related to the different elements of a tomb.