You probably won’t get ghosted for using the words graveyard and cemetery interchangeably, but it might be confusing to those who aren’t familiar with the distinction. The big clue is that a cemetery is usually unattached to a church.
It is also typically larger in size and can allow both followers of the religion and non-followers to be buried there.
Churchyards
Churchyards are picture-postcards of our past and provide rich archaeological resources for study, but they can also be difficult to manage. There can be a tension between the interests of archaeologically-led DAC investigations and respect for the mission of churches, which is primarily aimed at people living in the present.
Traditionally churchyards contained burial ground and the church precincts, and were the most ancient enclosed land in a parish or town. Many had stoups where holy water could be collected by those about to enter the church; and some had porch altars where marriage contracts were signed.
In recent years churchyards have seen a rise in visitors, often to research their family history. Encourage visitors to record the wildlife they see on iNaturalist – it’s simple and rewarding.
Cemeteries
With more than 100 cemeteries in the five boroughs, and plenty of room still left to go, NYC’s dead speak volumes to those who visit their resting places. The contracts and by laws of a cemetery association can make for daunting reading, especially when it comes to the rights of burial sites.
Generally speaking, a cemetery is specifically designed and maintained for the interment of bodies. It’s not just a patch of land that happened to be available beside a church. Ongoing costs for a cemetery include labor for gravediggers and landscapers, property taxes, utilities, water and irrigation, and non-labor security expenses. Some cemetery fees also cover maintenance of the monuments. Other ongoing costs are associated with the operation of a funeral home and the sale of caskets and cremation services.
Burials
The burial of the dead may involve various rituals, according to culture. It may also be influenced by sanitary and practical considerations, including the desire to prevent unpleasant smells resulting from decomposition. In addition, some cultures believe that a body that is buried in a certain place will be transported to a different location when the time comes for resurrection.
Often, the dead are buried in a grave marked with a memorial headstone. This usually displays a name and date of death. In some societies, people with a high social status are buried in an individual crypt under their place of worship.
In some cases, a known person is buried anonymously in order to avoid desecration or the possibility of grave robbing or vandalism. This can be especially true of historical figures.
Monuments
Monuments include headstones and grave markers, as well as statues or carvings. In general, they honor the dead and double as informational artifacts for descendants to research.
Headstones can feature a family name, dates of birth and death, or symbols of religion and culture. Some religious symbols (like angels, crosses, cherub heads and gates) or memento mori (“symbolic reminders of death”) also have meanings that can provide further context to the deceased.
Gravestones can be carved from many materials, and the design options are virtually unlimited. Foot marker-style monuments are often the least expensive, but are more easily damaged during mowing and other cemetery work. Restoration is a highly specialized job for monumental masons and involves careful structural investigations of the stones. See our technical guidance for more.
Maintenance
Although most cemeteries provide mowing and other general landscape maintenance, individual gravesites often fall to family members for maintenance. They may need to remove withered flowers or weeds, trim grass around the tomb, and clean the stone. They also need to ensure that the gravesite is free of salts, which can cause damage.
These efforts create space for the growth of native plant species, which increase carbon sequestration and reduce NO2 emissions. They also create a habitat for wildlife and encourage visitors to the cemetery.
Some people like to decorate their loved one’s grave or memorial site with flowers, mementos, and other items. These can be very meaningful, but they must be carefully placed. Moreover, they must comply with local regulations on cemetery decorations.