How a monument is placed on a grave. When should a monument be placed on a grave?

When to install a monument on a grave. Where to put it?

Dates for installing a monument in the cemetery.

There are two views on the question of when to install a monument on a grave. Sometimes you hear that you need to place it after 40 days. Of course, from the point of view common sense, a monument should be erected when the ground has settled after burial, soil has been added, and the foundation has completely dried out. If you do not do this, you cannot avoid the monument skewing to one side, or worse, subsidence or sinking into the ground. The time for complete shrinkage of the earth after burial is considered to be a year.

It is worth paying special attention to the correct installation of the monument on the grave. On one ground, an easy installation is sufficient; for heavy monuments and viscous moving soil, it is necessary to pour a good foundation that firmly connects the stele, stand, plinth or fence. Installation must be thought out, water drainage and ground level must be taken into account. If you decide to erect a monument yourself and monitor the grave in the future, it will not be superfluous to know why graves sink.

The monument must be installed in dry, warm weather, during the season, which lasts from May 15 to October 15. The same applies to installing a fence, table, bench or plinth.

What does he say about this? christian religion? IN Orthodox funeral It is customary to erect a cross, and this is the main thing. As for the monument, the only thing the priests recommend on this issue is keeping the cross in a fence or having an engraved cross on the monument.

Do you know why it is necessary to install a monument on a grave? Should the cross be replaced with a monument? We wrote a separate article about this.

We figured out when to install a monument on a grave; this is necessarily a warm time of year and not before a year After the burial, now let's talk about installing a monument in the cemetery. First, about the legal side of the issue. You can buy and order a monument wherever you want, where the price suits you, where the craftsmen take your fancy. No one has the right to limit you in your choice. Professional installers should be invited to install the monument; unprofessional installation of the monument can lead to the product falling and even to its destruction, which would be very undesirable.

Where are the monuments placed? As a rule, the stele is installed in place of a wooden or metal cross, which in turn can be preserved and rearranged directly behind the monument. If you do not want to keep the cross, it has become weathered or deteriorated; according to Christian customs, the cross is not thrown away, but a tourniquet is used.

Each religious ceremony has its own rules for installing a monument. It can be placed at the feet of the deceased or at the head. Having erected a monument as required by religion, they often install a fence, it creates a feeling of privacy.

Old people often ask their relatives not to erect a monument at all, a heavy tombstone evokes negative emotions in them, many say: don’t let the stone strangle me, don’t let the stone put pressure on me, etc. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to talk about the wishes of your elderly relatives, try to ask about this during your lifetime, and as a result, fulfill their will. If you can't ask or decide, then just do what's best for you, what's best for your peace of mind.

Let's return to the installation of the monument. Today there are no too strict standards and standards for the installation of stone products on graves, but there are some details that are still worth paying attention to. Approximately 5-7 years after burial, relatively inexpensive coffins begin to deteriorate, the earth sinks into the resulting voids, and the grave may sag. During a normal installation of a monument that is not reinforced with horizontal beams, the monument may tilt and will have to be remounted. To take into account all the details of when and how to install a monument, it is best to turn to professional installers. Experience in such installations will allow you to save money and not worry after several years.

When someone close to you passes into eternity, the last thing you want to think about is any practical issues. However, one has to deal with problems such as organizing a funeral, memorial dinner, etc., and later the question inevitably arises of when the monument can be erected.

As for religious rules, the church does not give clear instructions about the time of installation of tombstones. There is only one rule that should not be broken from an Orthodox point of view - placing a cross on the grave. This must be done on the same day as the burial. Everything else is not of fundamental importance in religion, so relatives have the right to independently decide when to erect a monument.

At the same time, the correct installation of a tombstone has important, since the monument is an expression of respect for the personality of the deceased, and relatives of the deceased strive to do everything possible to preserve the memory of him for centuries.

If we talk about practical issues, experts recommend installing tombstone structures no earlier than every year. This is due to the natural properties of the earth, which must be given enough time to settle and compact well. Practice shows that during this period of time the grave mound becomes almost twice as low.

There is an opinion that it is better to install the monument after two years, since there are more guarantees that the soil will settle completely and the gravestone will remain in place. horizontal position. If you do not maintain a certain period of time after burial, there is a likely risk that an outwardly new and beautiful monument looks sideways - everyone who has been to the cemetery has repeatedly observed a similar picture.

Relatives have the right to do as they please; I would just like to note that thanks to new technologies, the installation of the monument became possible immediately after the burial. However, in practical terms, no negative consequences occur, since modern systems The fortifications of the monument can withstand quite heavy loads. From a religious point of view, you need to wait until at least, 40 days and only after that start decorating the grave. In any case, this is what most priests say.

If relatives decide to wait, you can get by with a temporary tombstone for some period. It can be either a wooden cross or just a small slab made of inexpensive materials. The main thing is that even from a temporary monument it is possible to identify the burial place of a particular person. For these purposes, it is necessary to place an appropriate sign indicating the name and surname of the deceased, and the dates of birth and death must also be displayed.

Many people are interested in the question: should they remove the cross immediately after they decide to mount the monument, or leave it standing next to the monument? Again, it is best to consult with church representatives on this issue. However, if you are not superstitious, nothing bad will happen if the cross is dismantled and a presentable stele is installed in its place. By the way, a cross can also be engraved on the monument.

Another important one practical advice from experts - it is not recommended to erect a monument in winter. Due to the fact that the ground is very frozen at this time of year, it is simply not possible to install a tombstone efficiently and reliably.

In addition, permits from the cemetery administration, without which such work cannot be carried out, are issued strictly within a specified period of time - from mid-May to mid-October. Of course, in order to save money, you can order a monument at any time of the year, but installation is possible later, when it gets noticeably warmer.

Many people ask the question when a monument is installed on a grave, without taking into account other nuances. For example, it is equally important what type of soil predominates at the burial site, as well as what material the monument is made of. The most successful soil from the point of view of reliability is sandy soil, but clay is not always suitable for installing heavy structures, despite the fact that the structure is placed on a concrete base.

By the way, about the weight of the monument. If you decide to use a marble stele to decorate the grave of the deceased, you should remember that marble is a very heavy material. The installation of such headstones must be approached with extreme caution. It is better to allow a sufficient period of time for the soil to completely shrink, or to further strengthen the soil.

A few words about how to care for the monument. Many people advise covering steles for the winter with cellophane film or other materials. This is done in order to protect the stone from the harmful effects of precipitation and bad weather conditions. At the same time, experts argue that such safety measures only aggravate the situation and the appearance of condensation can damage the surface of the structure. If the monument is made of natural stone - marble, granite, its natural properties allow it to be quite durable, and such a monument will stand long years without additional protective measures.

Is there a tradition of installing funeral symbols or canons, let's figure it out.

The Orthodox cross is one of the traditional symbols

The cross on the grave of a Christian is a silent preacher of reverent immortal life and the upcoming resurrection. The deceased, as a rule, is placed in the grave with his head to the west and his feet to the east, supposedly the deceased goes to the east. The West is associated with the end of life, its decline, and the East with eternal life. And it is customary to pray, turning to the Lord to the east, in anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. During his lifetime, the cross was on the chest of a Christian believer and now it is also with him, the crucifix is turned towards the deceased and stands at his feet. In the event of the deceased rising from the grave, he could contemplate great victory Lord over Satan and could take up the cross and walk along the path to God. “Yes, is it really possible to hammer a cross into your head,” many say.

Reading the diaries of church ministers, you can also see the following lines: “The Orthodox cross is placed at the feet of the deceased and nothing else.” But what to do, you ask, if the cross is installed incorrectly? Will this not disturb the deceased and will this be considered a sin? Father Nikolai answers: “The cross is a symbol of fidelity to our Lord on life path Christian from baptism to the separation of body and soul. And on the day of the uprising of all those buried, the first thing that appears before the eye is a symbol of salvation. And those whose cross stands at the head of their head will hit their heads against it. And all reasonable deeds in the name of goodness and goodness are our duty, therefore helping our neighbor correct a mistake is not a sin.” A monument is also erected in place of the cross. The cross is burned or buried in a grave or open field.

Informed Christian opinion.

Archpriest Vladimir Bushuev says this: The deceased is carried feet first and his face seems to be looking where he is being carried. In the Temple it lies with its feet towards the Altar, also facing the east. They bury their heads to the west and their faces to the east, so that they can silently pray and look at the sunrise. The birth of the Sun occurs in the East, and the death of the Sun in the West. And the Temple is being built to the East. In accordance with Orthodox canons the monument is placed on the grave in the place of the cross, also at the feet of the deceased. And what is important for him is your prayer for his soul and good deeds in memory of a person dear to you.

Working through this question, came across one article in which the Minsk diocese gave the answer.

Based on the above, I can say the following: every Christian will act as he pleases. But still, the customs and canons of our ancestors must be respected.

The loss of a loved one is always grief. But it is no coincidence that they say that as long as the memories of a person are alive, he is present in our lives. From time immemorial it has been customary to perpetuate the memory of the deceased in stone - in the form of tombstones, obelisks, mausoleums and other ritual structures. When the pain of loss is replaced by the realization that one should take care of the good memory of the deceased, many ask the question: when should a monument be erected at the burial site? What does the church and practical experience tell us about this?

From the point of view of Orthodoxy

Determining the installation time tombstone, many turn to religious relatives and church ministers for advice. Some say that you need to wait 40 days after the funeral, others do not give any recommendations. Let's debunk all the myths about this. IN Orthodox texts There are no instructions anywhere about when monuments should be erected on the graves of the deceased. The installation of a cross on the day of the funeral, indeed, has a ritual background. But Christianity does not make any comments about monuments, so in this matter one should be guided exclusively by common sense.

From a practical point of view

As a rule, from the moment of funeral until installation work is carried out, it is customary to maintain a one-year period. This is due to the fact that during this time certain changes have time to occur in the soil, and the grave soil becomes compacted. Surely you have noticed that in cemeteries you can find completely new-looking tombstones that have already become askew or even fallen down. All this is the result of a hasty installation. For the installation of monuments, it is correct to choose the warm season, when the soil is sufficiently warmed and dried. This way you can avoid subsidence of the structure.

When installing monuments, you also need to focus on the type of soil and the material of the monument itself. For example, in clayey terrain the structure is highly likely to “float”, while sandy soils are more stable from this point of view. Monuments made of marble are considered the heaviest, so you should not rush to install them. In general, among specialists in the installation of ritual-themed products, there is an opinion that the later the installation is carried out, the more durable the monument will be.

The timing of the installation of tombstones is an issue in which there are many nuances. A detailed consultation with funeral company specialists will help you clarify all these points. Moreover, here you can always order a professional installation service.

Traditions and customs

Orthodox Christians immediately after the funeral place a cross on the grave, which, as a rule, remains on the grave for at least one year. However, other religions do not say how to decorate the grave after burial, so relatives can decide for themselves how to decorate the grave of the deceased.

But people of all religions, as well as atheists and agnostics, agree on one thing - the grave of a loved one should be beautiful, well-groomed, it needs supervision, constant cleaning, weeding, and also a monument.

Monuments on the graves of people who profess a religion often reflect the religion of the deceased and his family members. Sometimes prayers are even placed on the monument.

The time of burial is one of the factors that determines the time when it is safe to place a monument on a grave. Relatives often hesitate when it is possible to remove the temporary wooden cross (like Orthodox Christians) and erect a stone monument.

When is the best time to install?

Not a single Orthodox source gives a specific answer when it is possible to replace a cross with a monument on a grave. You can ask the priest of the cemetery church for instructions on this issue. The most common answer is the statement of the church minister that a cross on the grave is the most favorable way to improve the grave, but if relatives want to erect a monument on the grave to a loved one, it is recommended to take a monument with the image of a cross, temple, or icon. It is recommended to replace a temporary cross with a monument no earlier than a year after the person’s death.

According to the documents, any tombstone must be marked with a special sign, which must indicate the name and years of life of the deceased. Such a plate is attached to a temporary cross, but if a monument is erected, it is engraved on it, so you can be sure that all formalities for arranging the grave will be observed and the burial place will be indicated on for a long time.

Experts say that you can put a monument on a grave within a year without fear of anything. In some cases, it can be delivered later or earlier. One year is enough for the soil to compact and settle, and then you won’t see how the early erected monument settles along with the ground. If the monument is not installed in a timely manner, it may sag along with the still loose soil, become distorted, or even bury itself in the soil.

The advice to erect a monument every year is not strict. The time may be reduced depending on the time of year in which the funeral occurs and the specific climate. You can install a monument even six months later, if winter has passed since the funeral. Over the fall and winter, the earth will be compacted properly, and in the spring it will be possible to erect a monument. In winter and autumn, the soil subsides more actively than in summer and spring.

You can hear the opinion that the monument should be erected no earlier than two years from the date of the funeral. This opinion is erroneous and unfounded and is usually caused by people’s desire to protect themselves one hundred percent. Indeed, in two years the earth will be able to settle sufficiently and the guarantee that it will still remain loose and the monument will sag is negligible.

What conditions does the installation depend on?

The placement of the monument depends entirely on weather conditions. During the rainy season, the earth is compacted much better, and 3-4 rainy seasons, when precipitation falls and dries, is enough for the earth to sink sufficiently.

It is not recommended to install a monument in winter or before the winter season, as the ground may sink further during the winter. That is why a reputable company that installs tombstones will not allow you to install a monument in winter or before winter. After all, every company cares about its reputation, and the quality of the product is important to it. The quality of the product is also important to you, so postponing the installation of the monument until spring will be a profitable and correct decision.

The period after which a monument can be erected also depends on the material from which the monument is made. For example, if you want to put on a grave granite monument made of natural stone (they are 4-5 times heavier than analogues made of granite chips), then you need to wait at least a year, since under the large weight of granite slabs the monument may sag or sag.