Editing Cemetery (section)

===Early Christianity===
{{further|Christian burial}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Saints_Innocents_1550_Hoffbauer.jpg|thumb|[[Holy Innocents' Cemetery|Les Innocents cemetery]] in 1550.]]

From about the 7th century CE, in [[Europe]] a burial was under the control of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]] and could only take place on [[consecration|consecrated]] church ground. Practices varied, but in continental Europe, bodies were usually buried in a [[mass grave]] until they had [[decomposition|decomposed]]. The bones were then [[Burial#Exhumation|exhumed]] and stored in [[ossuary|ossuaries]], either along the [[arcade (architecture)|arcaded]] bounding walls of the cemetery or within the church under floor slabs and behind walls.

In most cultures those who were vastly rich, had important [[profession]]s, were part of the [[nobility]] or were of any other high [[social status]] were usually buried in individual [[crypt]]s inside or beneath the relevant [[place of worship]] with an indication of their name, date of death and other biographical data. In Europe, this was often accompanied by a depiction of their [[coat of arms]].

Most others were buried in graveyards again divided by social status. Mourners who could afford the work of a [[stonemason]] had a [[headstone]] engraved with a name, dates of birth and death and sometimes other biographical data, and set up over the place of burial. Usually, the more writing and symbols carved on the headstone, the more expensive it was. As with most other human property such as houses and means of transport, richer families used to compete for the [[artistic]] value of their family headstone in comparison to others around it, sometimes adding a statue (such as a weeping angel) on the top of the grave.

Those who could not pay for a headstone at all usually had some religious symbol made from wood on the place of burial such as a [[Christian cross]]; however, this would quickly deteriorate under the rain or snow. Some families hired a [[blacksmith]] and had large crosses made from various [[metal]]s put on the places of burial.