Mausoleum Crypts: Family Mausoleums

Although expensive, mausoleums are highly valuable and beneficial ways of preserving the memory of an individual or family. A mausoleum crypt provides a safe resting place for the remains of family members in a way that allows a continuing feel of closeness that traditional burial does not supply.

What is a Crypt Mausoleum?

The mausoleum crypt is the chamber within the mausoleum that holds the burial remains. In some cases, these may be cremation urns instead of or as well as caskets. The size of the crypt determines the number of individuals that can be interred in the mausoleum.

A larger mausoleum may have multiple mausoleum crypts to hold several members of a family while smaller, personal mausoleums may only have one. The mausoleum size and mausoleum plans can both be varied to fit each family’s needs.

What are the Different Mausoleum Plans?

The two most popular construction plans are the sarcophagus and vestibule styles. For a larger mausoleum, the vestibule style is better. This has a small vestibule for visitation and prayers with one or two crypts opening from it. The American mausoleum size is generally sufficient to hold two to six burials. In this case, the crypt mausoleum is a separate chamber that may or may not be sealed.

In the sarcophagus-style mausoleum, the mausoleum crypt is in the main body of the mausoleum.

How Big Are Mausoleum Crypts?

They vary. A crypt may hold only one body or as many as five or even ten. Most hold two or three burials. In some cases, a mausoleum crypt may be designed to hold a large number of cremations. The plan of the mausoleum may affect and to some degree dictate the size of the crypt. It also dictates the size of any covered area that can be used by the living.

A mausoleum is a great way to preserve family continuity and allow the easy visiting of the gravesite by living family members. Properly constructed of quality materials, mausoleums have the potential to stand forever, and can be built large enough to hold several generations in mausoleum crypts. It is an option worth considering if you have the space to construct one on your own property and the desire to create a monument that future generations will appreciate.

Mausoleum Crypts: Family Mausoleums

Mausoleum crypts are highly valuable and beneficial ways of preserving the memory of an individual or family. A mausoleum crypt provides a safe above-ground burial place that allows a continuing feeling of closeness that traditional ground burial does not supply.

Before we learn more about the different types of crypts, such as a family crypt, companion crypts, or a private crypt, let’s take a broader view and discuss mausoleums.

What is the difference between a mausoleum and a crypt?

Mausoleums are structures that hold crypts.

A mausoleum is a structure that provides a permanent resting place for the remains of a person or several people. Mausoleums can either be community mausoleums, like what you would find at a public cemetery that holds the remains of unrelated individuals. On the other hand, some families choose to build a family mausoleum, which is a private space meant to provide mausoleum entombment for all the members of a single-family.

Both community mausoleums and family mausoleums can hold casketed bodies or cremated remains. Bodies are placed in crypts, which will be discussed in the next section. The cremated remains, or “ashes,” may be placed in an urn inside the mausoleum, or they can be placed in columbarium niches.

What are the different types of mausoleums?

Private & Community Mausoleums

Both a private mausoleum or a community mausoleum can be further categorized into different types.

Garden Mausoleums

A garden mausoleum holds crypts or columbarium niches, but visitors who come to pay their respects do so from outside, much as you would for a loved one who was buried in a cemetery plot. The door to each crypt in a garden mausoleum opens to the outdoors. “Lawn crypts” are types of garden mausoleums.

Walk-In Mausoleums

A vestibule-style mausoleum provides a more comfortable space for mourners to gather. This style, also called a “chapel mausoleum,” offers privacy and can be designed to hold family crypts or single crypts.

Most people who wish to create a permanent resting place for the members of a single-family opt for vestibule-style mausoleums because they offer privacy and security.

Questions About Mausoleum Crypts

Now that you understand the different types of mausoleums let’s discuss the different types of crypts. The mausoleum crypt is the chamber (or chambers) within the mausoleum that holds the remains.

What are the sizes of mausoleum crypts?

The size of the crypt determines the number of individuals that can be entombed in the mausoleum.

A larger private mausoleum may have family crypts to hold several members of a family, while smaller, personal mausoleums may hold only companion crypts or single crypts. The mausoleum size and mausoleum plans can both be varied to fit each family’s needs.

Another way to categorize crypts is how the body is placed inside the mausoleum.

How are bodies buried in crypts?

In some mausoleums, the casket is placed inside the wall inside a sealed chamber. In a sarcophagus-style mausoleum, the crypt may be placed on the mausoleum floor or underground.

Regardless of the style, bodies placed inside crypts are said to be “entombed” instead of “buried.”

Can crypts be opened?

Crypts are typically sealed after the casketed remains are placed inside. However, some crypts, such as companion crypts, are designed to hold several casketed or urned remains. Staff members may unseal the crypt to insert the additional remains. It is then, of course, resealed.

How much are family crypts?

Family crypts also referred to as private mausoleums, range in price from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The price range depends on the chosen style, with private family vestibule-style mausoleums being at the high end.

While the price of a mausoleum may be cost-prohibitive for some, other families view the cost as an investment in their family’s legacy.

Are mausoleums better than crypts?

Mausoleum crypts serve an essential, practical purpose of being an above-ground burial space for remains. But a private mausoleum does so much more than that. Below are the main categories of private mausoleums and their benefits.

Family Mausoleum

A family mausoleum preserves family continuity. Generations to come will visit the space with pride and spend time reflecting on those who came before them. A private family mausoleum can be designed to reflect the family’s beliefs, accomplishments, and passions.

Vestibule Mausoleum

A walk-in mausoleum also offers a private space for living family members to use for quiet prayer and medication. In addition, they can be protected from the outdoor elements and prying eyes or curious onlookers when they spend time in the family mausoleum’s chapel.

Private Mausoleum

A private crypt can also be constructed on your family’s estate, giving the structure even more privacy than a mausoleum built in a public cemetery.

A family crypt constructed of quality materials by expert artisans has the potential to stand forever. Mausoleums by Forever Legacy offers an eternal guarantee on their structures, backed by an independent trust.

Mausoleums By Forever Legacy

Forever Legacy builds private family crypts for discriminating clients. We are a full-service organization that will walk you through the entire mausoleum construction process, beginning with choosing the site and ending with designing the landscaping for the surrounding area.

Request a consultation with the Mausoleums by Forever Legacy by filling out the contact form on our website or calling one of our offices scattered in large metropolitan areas across the U.S.