Mausoleum

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A mausoleum (plural: mausolea) is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the mausoleum. A Christian mausoleum sometimes includes a chapel.

The word derives from the Mausoleum of Maussollos (near modern-day Bodrum in Turkey), the grave of King Mausollos, the Persian satrap of Caria, whose large tomb was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Historically, mausolea were, and still may be, large and impressive constructions for a deceased leader or other person of importance. However, smaller mausolea soon became popular with the gentry and nobility in many countries, particularly in Europe and her colonies during the early modern and modern periods. These are usually small buildings with walls, a roof and sometimes a door for additional interments or visitor access. A single mausoleum may be permanently sealed. A mausoleum encloses a burial chamber either wholly above ground or within a burial vault below the superstructure. This contains the body or bodies, probably within sarcophagi or interment niches. Modern mausolea may also act as columbaria (a type of mausoleum for cremated remains) with additional cinerary urn niches. Mausolea may be located in a cemetery, a churchyard or on private land.

In the United States, the term may be used for a burial vault below a larger facility, such as a church. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California, for example, has 6,000 sepulchral and cinerary urn spaces for interments in the lower level of the building. It is known as the 'crypt mausoleum'.

Notable mausolea

Main article: List of mausolea.

• The Mastaba
• The Mausoleum of Khomeini in Tehran, Iran
• The pyramids of ancient Egypt, Nubia and China are also types of mausolea.
• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassas
• Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
• Taj Mahal at Agra, India
• Anit Kabir mausoleum of Ataturk the founder of the Republic of Turkey at Ankara, Turkey
• Tomb of Jahangir
• Mazar-e-Quaid at Karachi, Pakistan
• Royal Mausoleum and the Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum at Frogmore, England
• Grant's Tomb, New York City - a reduced-scale version of Mausolos' original mausoleum.
• Hamilton Mausoleum at Hamilton in Scotland
• Abraham Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, Illinois
• Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow, Russia.
• Miles Mausoleum in Arlington National Cemetery
• Astana Giribangun Suharto family complex in traditional Javanese architectural style in Karanganyar, Central Java
• Argosari the peak of the Astana Giribangun complex alleged to be final resting place of legendary Javanese leader Raden Mas Samboernowo (aka Raden Mas Said),
• Imogiri complex in Imogiri, Central Java is the cemetery for Majapahit royals and the Hamengkubuwana Royals of Yogyakarta
• Qianling Mausoleum in China, houses the remains of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and the ruling Empress Wu Zetian, along with 17 others in auxiliary tombs.

External links

• Mausolea and Monuments Trust, gazetteer of mausolea in England

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Last updated on Sunday March 09, 2008 at 14:17:17 PDT (GMT -0700)
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