What is a Columbarium

When people reach their end of life, they have a number of options about how to be ‘disposed of”. Many people in the 21st century are opting for cremation. Unlike with a burial, where choices for cemeteries are running out, with cremation and columbariums, there are more options for choosing your final resting place. A columbarium is mostly an above-ground structure to hold urns of remains. They can be inside a building or outside as a freestanding structure. Most cemeteries give people the choice of burial plots, mausoleums and columbarium, but with space becoming an issue, these are becoming a sought after- and dignified way to rest in peace.

Typical ColumbariumColumbarium – You’ve Finally Found Your Niche

Columbariums are openings or niches in a wall for keeping an urn as a permanent memorial. Not all columbaria are the same, and a church for instance might opt to have 300 openings available for their church members. They also have space for a memorial wall where plaques commemorate deceased members of the congregation. These columbaria can securely hold an urn no matter what the design. There are companies which design and build columbarium, and they suggest you look at their designs and make your selection. Granite is still a popular choice because of its beauty.

Columbarium – Attractive Vaults House the Cremated Remains

Columbaria are often seen in church courtyards or cemeteries. They usually complement the existing church buildings and many of them have landscaping as part of the deal to ensure additional beauty. There are some people who want their ashes to go into a columbarium at their church. They want to remain at the place where they have served and where they have received the word of God week after week. They want to know that their families, who worship at the church, can ‘visit them’ in the columbarium when they attend services there.

Attractive, low-maintenance columbarium create an atmosphere of serenity and contemplation. Columbariums are all different and can be wall inserts, as free standing granite structures or as ground niches. Architecture, funds and environmental conditions will play a role in what they look like. As burial space becomes less, more people are choosing cremations over burial, and a wall cavity is becoming a more popular resting place with designers coming up with unique custom designs. You can choose between square, circular and curve designs with just about any combination of height, width and finishings.

Columbariums ready to take on the World

There are a number of columbarium in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government wants to help its people by building new columbaria and one of them is a project which provides about 43,000 niches in an attractive design. The cost for a niche is far less than those of private providers.

A columbarium is less expensive than other options such as a cemetery plot. A columbarium can also easily be visited by friends and family. With so many advantages and with land space being in such short supply, it seems as though the columbarium is getting ready to take on the world.

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All info was correct at time of publishing