Mausoleums – The New Age of Resting In Style

Who said that you have to go without your favorite amenities, even after your passing? This was the exact sentiment that the infamous Mexican drug lords had in mind when they constructed some of North America’s most lavish and fully equipped mausoleums. Built in the capital city of Sinaloa, these custom-built resting places come with air conditioning, wi-fi access, guest bedrooms, full kitchens, and even private movie theaters. Fashioned after their everyday homes, these jaw-dropping mausoleums cost no less than $250,000 and are monitored by security cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mausoleum Art Exhibition Brings Back Figures of The Gilded Age

One of the most famous cemeteries in the country is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a spectacular art party. As reported by the New York Times, the Bronx’s Woodlawn Cemetery is exhibiting its Gilded Age tombs at Columbia University’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, starting on Sept. 3: “Sylvan Cemetery: Architecture, Art and Landscape at Woodlawn.”

The exhibit features mausoleum artwork, furniture, stained glass, ironwork, and sculptures from the Gilded Age period (1870s to 1900). Curators of the exhibition took extra steps contextualize the pieces, including researching tomb designers and tomb inhabitants and reaching out to descendants of the deceased individuals entombed at Woodlawn.

The Last Link to a Bygone Era: Civil War Mausoleum To Be Restored

It’s difficult to envision a cemetery that was once “the center of town life,” but the grounds at Zion Chapel on Hilton Head Island (off the coast of South Carolina) was just that. The cemetery was the heart of the island’s settlements in the pre-Civil War period until Union soldiers invaded in 1861 and was the final resting place of numerous Civil War soldiers.

The cemetery has weathered the last 165 years, but now its historic Banyard Mausoleum is on the brink of collapsing, and the Heritage Library Foundation hopes to raise $175,000 for renovations. The group intends to preserve the historic antebellum architecture of the structure, which is the island’s oldest and only surviving building from the Civil War period. It houses the remains of affluent planter William Eddings Banyard and his family. The marble-covered crypt holds 21 burial chambers that are still intact, though only seven people were interred within.

2,100 Year-Old Royal Mausoleum Discovered in China

Archaeologists recently discovered the 2,100 year-old tomb of Chinese King Liu Fei, who died in 128 BC. The mountaintop excavation, which took two years, unearthed 10,000 artifacts made of gold, silver, bronze, and jade.

As befitting a ruler known for “extreme arrogance and luxury,” according to historians, Liu Fei entered the afterlife in grand style. Replete with all the treasures of the ancient world, his mausoleum offers a glimpse of his luxurious lifestyle, boasting:

Eisenstadt, Austria: The Eternal Home of Joseph Haydn

The quaint Austrian town of Eisenstadt, home to little more than 13,000 people, is the state capital of Burgenland. Nestled in the foothills of the Leitha Mountains, this town has a long and storied history that dates back to well before the time of Christ.

Located only a 45 minute drive from Vienna, the town of Eisenstadt is known for its wine production, beautiful castles, religious architecture, and the many museums that call the city home. It is, however, Eisenstadt’s most famous resident who is responsible for bringing the town to life each year. 

Memory Gardens Mausoleum Bankruptcy

After repeated financial problems, the Cullman Memory Gardens has once more been closed by the State of Alabama. In 2008, the mausoleum had been taken into receivership due to alleged mismanagement by the previous owner – Mike Graham and Associates. The property facilities have continued to deteriorate due to the failure to provide proper maintenance. Families complained of a foul liquid smell emanating from the tombs of the mausoleum. Bankruptcy trustees have been placed in charge of Cullman Memory Gardens.

Italy Restores the Tomb of the First Roman Emperor

The first Roman Emperor and founder of the Pax Romana, Emperor Augustus (born Gaius Octavius) — the man so influential the Roman Senate named a month after him — is finally getting some long-overdue recognition this summer, as his mausoleum undergoes a major renovation to celebrate the 2,000 year anniversary of his death.

Although Augustus is one of the most influential figures in western history, his mausoleum has fallen on hard times. Over the last few centuries, the monument has been bombed, sacked, and built over, acting as a bullfighting ring and concert hall before being consigned to neglect as a meeting place for vagrants and prostitutes. The mausoleum, which stood 120ft-high and was topped by a 15-ft bronze statue of Augustus himself during its heyday, once housed the emperor’s ashes as well as those of his successors, Tiberius and Claudius. But as tourists flock to the Forum and the Colosseum, the final resting place of Rome’s first and greatest emperor — the man whose rule inaugurated more than two centuries of peace and security in the greater part of the known world — lies unremarked and unnoticed behind a fence across from a pizzeria.

Private Burials on the Rise

Funerals traditionally include a viewing or wake for the deceased, a church service or secular service, and, lastly, burial in a churchyard or cemetery. However, private burial in a mausoleum is a practice gaining in popularity. Private mausoleums are burial monuments with a burial chamber or chambers and niches for cremated remains. When choosing a mausoleum, there are two major options, community and private.

Community mausoleums, often found within cemeteries, provide burial above ground, or entombment, for dozens or hundreds of unrelated people. Community mausoleums offer a tranquil atmosphere, seating, a chapel, and places for flower arrangements.

Memorials: Stones, Benches and More

Memorials are one of the most important elements of the funeral process for family members and the deceased alike. Family members use memorial stones, plaques, benches, and other memorial objects as focal points for grieving. They visit memorials when they want to feel close to the deceased family member, or to show their respect and love on significant days, like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or anniversaries of death. Planned in advance, memorial objects also provide the subject of the memorial the comfort of knowing he or she will be remembered long after passing. What kind of memorial is right for you or your lost loved one?

Memorial Stones, Headstones and Markers

Memorial stones, memorial headstones, and memorial markers are the most common types of memorials. Memorial headstones and markers serve the same function as gravestones; they record personal information, such as name, date of birth, and date of death. Memorial stones sometimes bear inscriptions with inspiring or descriptive text about the deceased, such as "Beloved Mother" or "An Inspiration to All." Memorial markers are placed where the remains have been laid to rest, somewhere that was significant to the deceased, or somewhere the family enjoys.