Final Farewell: The Culture of Death and the Afterlife

Funerals, Burials and Mourning

This section examines Christian funerals, burial customs, expressions of sorrow, and commemoration as they have been expressed in artwork and material culture. By the sixth century C.E., the culture of death and burial began to change. Christians began burying their dead in organized cemeteries within the city, unlike the Romans, who kept the dead away from the living. Eventually, more and more elaborate funeral services were held and the corpse was transported in a procession to the burial site. Commemoration ceremonies also became an important way of remembering the dead. Formal burial and commemoration ensured that souls of the deceased had a better chance of reaching Heaven in the afterlife.

Some attitudes, customs and images concerning “good” Christian deaths have remained constant, but many have also evolved over time. For example, special attention has often been given to a select few upon their deaths. In previous centuries, this included nobility and royalty, but today, government officials and celebrities tend to have the most elaborate burials and memorial services. Such ostentatious burial practices have led to hero worship of the dead, and some contemporary artists have begun to ridicule these practices in their work. With respect to mourning, people who wanted to outwardly express their grief over the loss of a loved-one have traditionally worn dark or black clothing, but during the Victorian period, mourning wear became associated with fashion trends. In addition to these variations, funerals have now become a business, reflecting consumer culture. Cemeteries are also now more secular and rarely connected to a church.

Despite these changes, a shared Christian belief ties the centuries together: those left behind must properly respect, recognize and remember the deceased through burials, funerals, mourning and commemoration, all of which contribute to the soul’s resurrection in the afterlife.

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Death in the Ancient Mediterranean World
-Egypt
-Greece & Italy
-Suicide in Graeco-Roman Society
-Jewish Practices

Death in the Non-Western World
-Africa
-Pre-Columbian
-Human Sacrifice in Pre-Columbian Cultures
-Tibet

Death & the Afterlife in Europe & America
-Introduction
-Martyrdom
-Christian Afterlife
-Memento Mori
-Funerals, Burials & Mourning

Giuseppe Erts
(Venetian, 17th–18th c.)
The Card Game of Death
detail
1663
Oil on canvas
(68.455)
Gift of Russell M. Arundel

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