cemetery

A cemetery is a designated area for the burial of human remains. It is typically maintained by public authorities, religious organizations, or private entities and contains interment records, graves or tombs, and memorial markers. In many places a distinction is drawn between a cemetery and a churchyard; a cemetery is generally not attached to a particular church and is laid out as a stand-alone burial ground.

The modern concept emerged in Europe in the 18th–19th centuries in response to urban growth and public health concerns, giving rise to planned, landscaped cemetery parks known as garden cemeteries. These sites emphasize accessibility, aesthetic grounds, and monumentality. Common features include rows of graves, headstones, mausoleums, columbaria for cremated remains, chapels, and perpetual-care facilities. Some areas maintain natural or woodland burial grounds.

Types of cemeteries include municipal or public cemeteries, church or religious cemeteries, private or corporate cemeteries, and memorial parks. Burial methods vary from inhumation to cremation, with a range of markers and structures used to commemorate the deceased. Management covers maintenance, record-keeping of burials, scheduling, and sometimes perpetual care funds to cover long-term upkeep.

Cemeteries serve as places of remembrance and ritual, with cultural practices shaping memorialization, visitation, and etiquette. They may also function as historical records, containing inscriptions, historic gravesites, and archival information used by researchers.