THE VAULT / GRAVE WITH HEADSTONE: A CLASSIC FUNERARY MONUMENT
The vault is a traditional funerary monument. It consists of digging a pit in the ground and creating a chamber to house the coffins of members of the same family. Also called a family vault or family mausoleum, this type of monument often covers 2 square meters and offers a capacity of 2 to 4 coffins. However, there are vaults capable of holding up to 10 coffins. The burial vault offers several advantages. First, it can accommodate the coffins of deceased members of the same family, providing a shared place for remembrance. It is also economical in the long term since it will not be necessary to design a new monument in the event of another death. The vault is also watertight, which protects the coffin from water infiltration and earth pressure.

THE CAVURN: A DISCREET CREMATION MONUMENT
The term “cavurn” comes from the words “vault” and “urn.” It is a small vault designed for the interment of cinerary urns containing the ashes of the deceased.

The cavurn often consists of a reinforced concrete niche closed with a slab to protect the urns from water infiltration and earth pressure. Generally, this type of monument features a less imposing headstone and a stele on which the deceased’s name and other text can be engraved.

Like a vault, the cavurn can accommodate the urns of deceased members of the same family. This creates a shared memorial space. It is the best alternative to keeping urns in a columbarium. This solution complies with the regulations imposed by the law of December 19, 2008, which prohibits the storage of cinerary urns containing the ashes of the deceased at home.

THE COLUMBARIUM: A COLLECTIVE CREMATION MONUMENT
Unlike a burial vault, a columbarium is a communal cremation monument. It comprises several niches that can hold multiple urns. Each niche is designated for a family. Generally, a municipality with 2,000 inhabitants must have a columbarium in its cemetery or a cremation site (a place designated for the scattering of ashes and the collection of cinerary urns).

This type of monument also offers several advantages. Firstly, its design addresses the problem of limited space in cemeteries. Indeed, it is built on an elevated platform and can accommodate numerous urns. The columbarium can also be customized or adapted to individual needs. However, it remains a communal memorial. Generally, each family has a niche where they can gather and place flowers or other funerary objects such as a plaque, a headstone…

HUMAN COMPOSTING: THE LEAST POLLUTING AND NATURE FRIENDLY METHOD OF BURIAL
This process is still only under discussion in France and is not yet authorized. It is the most ecological and least polluting of all burial methods. The human composting process involves decomposing a body using microorganisms. On the day of the burial, the deceased, previously wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, rests in a plant-based coffin. Shredded wood chips, flowers, rainwater, and dead leaves form this biodegradable bed. The naturally warm material repels pests and eliminates pathogens from the body.

Three months after the composting process begins, the bones and teeth are ground into powder, and the mineral matter is incorporated into the developing compost. Nine months later, the body of the deceased, completely transformed, becomes fertile for regenerating the soil.

A tree can be planted in memory of the deceased in “forests of remembrance” where people can come to pay their respects.