How Orthodoxy relates to cremation. Ecumenical Orthodoxy as a Church relates to human cremation

Cremation is one of the ritual processes of burial. The procedure involves burning the human body. In the future, the burnt ashes are collected in special urns. The methods of burial of cremated bodies are different. They depend on the religion of the deceased.

History of the cremation ritual

The tradition of burning corpses has been known to mankind since ancient times. According to archaeologists, this procedure was first used in the Paleolithic era. Later, this process of burial spread everywhere.

There is a legend about the burial of the Buddha, according to which, his body was burned, and the ashes were buried in several parts of India.

In ancient times, cremation was widespread in Rome and Greece. It was believed that burning the body would help a person to go to the afterlife.

The Christian religion did not initially accept the cremation procedure. For the Orthodox, the burial process was carried out by placing a corpse in the ground. The burning of the human body was a sign of paganism.

Later, in connection with the development of Christianity in European countries, cremation was prohibited. The punishment for violating the ban was the death penalty. The burning procedure has not been used for more than a thousand years.

Today, cremation is widespread both in Europe and in Russian Federation. This is due to the increase in the population of big cities and lack of space in the cemetery. This a big problem. Therefore, more and more Christians prefer the procedure of burning, regardless of how the church relates to cremation. It happens that relatives fulfill the will of the deceased, who, before his death, expressed a desire to be cremated.

Christian burial traditions

Burial of the body in the Christian religion combines Orthodox and pagan elements. It is important to carry out the burial ritual correctly and observe all national and national traditions. This will help the deceased to move to another world.

There are the following rituals:

• washing the body of the deceased;
• the process of putting on special clothes;
• wires;
• parting;
• funeral service;
• burial;
• commemoration

Funeral preparations are carried out carefully. The deceased is washed with water. According to tradition, a person must appear before God cleansed bodily and spiritually. After that, the body is dressed in the best clothes. V Ancient Russia they were white robes. They were worn by both women and men. V modern world men are usually dressed in classic black suits and light shirts. Women are buried in dresses light colors. Now there are many funeral services where you can buy everything you need, including outfits.

Deceased unmarried girls they are buried in wedding dresses, a veil is placed next to them. It is a sign of purity and innocence. Young men wear wedding rings and wedding suits. Perhaps the presence of some wedding traditions. For example, drinking champagne.

Burial takes place on the third day after death. All this time the body is in the room. Have him face the icons. Mirrors are covered throughout the house. This is also a kind of tradition that has its own history. Extraneous sounds are not allowed. A prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased, a whisk is placed on the forehead. A cross must be put on a person. The room is fumigated with incense and church candles are burned.

A person is escorted with special honors. A portrait of the deceased is established, relatives and close people say goodbye, express their condolences to each other. The funeral procession escorts the body of a person to the cemetery, where the burial takes place.

The rite of burial of the soul of the deceased by the priest is obligatory. This is a necessary measure for the remission of the sins of the deceased. Suicides in the Orthodox religion are not buried. There may be exceptions, but they require the permission of the Patriarch of All Russia.

After burial, flowers and wreaths are left on the grave, a wooden cross is placed.

Upon arrival from the cemetery, according to tradition, a wake is held. Tables are laid, prayers are read, special songs are sung. As a rule, the commemoration is held on the third, ninth and fortieth day. It is believed that on the fortieth day the soul leaves the human world and enters the Kingdom of God.

The attitude of the Christian church towards cremation

In large cities, there is less and less space left in cemeteries for burying people. Today it is a major problem for megacities. There is practically no space for new cemeteries. In this situation, cremation becomes an alternative solution to the problem.

How does the church view cremation? Christian church promotes the burial of the body in the ground. This tradition is associated with many scriptures that man is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, even after death, the body must go into the earth. Therefore, the Orthodox faith takes care of the safety of the body.

Cremation is allowed by the church, but only as a necessary measure. Cemetery space is expensive. Not everyone has the means to purchase it. Burning the body and burying the urn with the ashes is much cheaper. Of course, the burning of the body does not mean the difficulty of the transition to another life. The Church does not refuse funeral services for relatives who decide to cremate the body of the deceased. This action is not considered a sin. According to the clergy, cremation will not be able to prevent the resurrection from the dead. But still, for the Orthodox religion, this is an unnatural process of decay of human remains. Regardless of the form of burial, all the deceased are commemorated at liturgies and memorial services. Nevertheless, the attitude of the church towards cremation is negative.

Meeting of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

In May 2015, a meeting of the Russian Holy Synod was held. This event was held in the Danilovsky Monastery in Moscow. At this event, an important document "On the Christian burial of the dead" was adopted.

The project has been developed over several years. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia participated in its revision. This document describes the norms of burial of Orthodox believers.

Of course, there are situations in which the funeral and burial of the body becomes impossible. These can be plane crashes, floods (when bodies are carried into the water), terrorist attacks, fires, or any other tragic situation. In such situations, an absentee funeral service is possible. They are prayed for in the same way as for those buried in the ground. The clergy pay great attention to the relatives of the dead. They are taught to pray fervently for their loved ones.

The essence of the document "On the Christian burial of the dead"

The meeting of the clergy in the document on the burial clearly described their position.

According to the Holy Scriptures, the human body is the temple of God. The body of the deceased must be treated with respect. According to the Christian faith, a person comes from dust and after death his body must turn into dust. In this state it must rest until the day of resurrection, when "what was sown in corruption shall rise in incorruption" (1 Cor. 15:42).

In accordance with the burial document, any burial is made into the ground in wooden, plastic or stone coffins. Perhaps burial in caves and crypts in compliance with the necessary standards.

Cremation is not recognized as the norm of burial. At the same time, the church says that the Lord God is able to resurrect any body that has been exposed to any element.

Cremation of the human body

The process of cremation of a person occurs according to the preliminary will of the deceased. It takes about one and a half hours. In the Russian Federation, the share of cremated burials is small and amounts to approximately 10%. But in large cities, mainly Moscow and St. Petersburg, this method of burial prevails over the traditional one. Its share is 70%. Of course, before deciding to burn the body, it is necessary to think about all the intricacies of cremation, and it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons.

This procedure is carried out in specially designated places, crematoria. There are furnaces, the temperature of which varies from 900 to 1100 °C. After the end of the procedure, the ashes are only 2-2.5 kg. First, it is placed in an iron capsule, which is subsequently sealed. Ashes can also be stored in an urn. Relatives of the deceased buy it on their own. Urns can be varied in design and shape. The crematorium staff move the ashes from the capsule to the urn.

Only relatives can collect the ashes. The shelf life of the urn in the crematorium is 1 year. Sometimes more. If the ashes remain unclaimed, after the expiration of the storage period, they are buried in a common grave. Each crematorium has such burials.

Cremation oven

How are people cremated? Modern cremators consist of two chambers. The coffin with the body of the deceased is placed in the first chamber. This is where the first stage of human cremation takes place. Combustion takes place with hot air. Hot jets are not able to burn the body completely. Therefore, the remains are sent to the second cell. It's called an afterburner chamber. It completely burns out the remains of organic tissues.

From the cremator, the remains are sent to the cremator, where they are crushed into dust. Unburned metal products are taken out with special magnets.

It is impossible to mix up the remains. Before burning, a metal number is placed in the coffin. After the procedure, it is pulled out of the ashes.

Places for burial of ashes

Not assigned by the state special places for the burial of ashes. The relatives of the deceased dispose of the urn at their own discretion or carry out the last will of the deceased. The procedure for burying ashes is more convenient than traditional burial. The urn can be placed in a family grave. At the same time, it is not necessary to withstand the sanitary period (15 years).

You can purchase a place in the columbarium open or closed type. Some simply scatter the ashes in a certain place.

Columbarium is a place where urns with the ashes of the deceased are stored after the cremation procedure. For the first time, such storage facilities were built during the ancient Roman civilization. Columbarium is a structure divided into many cells. Such vaults exist at every crematorium. In Moscow, the most famous columbarium is located in the Kremlin wall.

There are two types of such burials: open and closed. An open columbarium is installed outdoors. It can be various kinds of structures, divided into cells.

The closed columbarium is a separate building, the so-called mausoleum. In the walls of such rooms there are cells intended for storing ashes. The cells can be concreted after the urn is placed in them. After that, a portrait of the deceased person and various inscriptions are placed on the cell.

Basically, the columbarium cells are covered with glass. Relatives and close people usually place memorabilia and photographs of the deceased along with the urn.

There are also family columbariums. In terms of their semantic meaning, they can be compared with family crypts or with family graves in a cemetery. One such cell can hold up to four urns with ashes.

Moscow crematoria

There are three crematoria in the city of Moscow. All of them are located in the cemeteries: Nikolo-Arkhangelsk, Mitinsky and Khovansky.

• Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery - Moscow, Saltykovka microdistrict, st. Okolnaya, 4.
• The Mitinsky cemetery is located outside the Moscow Ring Road, Moscow, Mitinsky district, Pyatnitskoye highway, 6th km.
• Khovanskoe cemetery is located in the city of Moscow, the settlement "Mosrentgen", st. Admiral Kornilov, Kiev highway, 21st km.

To find out how people are cremated, you need to contact the administration of the crematorium. Here you can find out the cost of the procedure.

Basically, crematoria provide services of various levels. The price depends on the choice of the hall for farewell to the deceased, ritual accessories, etc.

Burial of ashes at the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery

Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery was founded in 1960. Initially, burials were carried out here only by the traditional method. Later, in 1973, it was decided to open a crematorium on the territory of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery in Moscow. This is a big building. The crematorium conducts up to forty cremations a day.

Basically, the relatives of the dead do not pay attention to how the church treats cremation. The fact is that the cemetery is closed for new burials. Burial is allowed only in related graves or places purchased in advance. traditional method burial in a family grave requires compliance with the sanitary deadline. This condition is becoming a major problem for metropolitan areas. Therefore, most of the population of large cities resorts to the cremation procedure.

On the territory of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery there are columbariums of open and closed type. Unlike places for traditional burials, a place to store the ashes here can be bought without problems.

The open columbarium of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery is located on the street. These are the ranks long walls divided into small cells. The ashes of the deceased in an open columbarium are concreted. After that, relatives have no access to the urn.

The closed columbarium is located in a separate building. This is a room, the walls of which are also divided into cells. Here the urn is behind glass door. In addition to the urn, it is possible to put trifles dear to the deceased person in the cell: photographs, caskets, etc.

Prices for open and closed columbarium cells are different. In addition, the cemetery administration may collect an annual fee from the relatives of the deceased.

Various services are provided at the cemetery: a monument store, a mortuary, grave care. You can rent inventory for the care of the graves. In addition to the general crematorium, there is also a private one. It is located at the main entrance to the cemetery.

Church of the Intercession was built on the territory of the cemetery Holy Mother of God and a small chapel.

Based on the above-described unambiguous conclusion about how the church relates to cremation, it is impossible to draw. On the one hand, the Christian faith promotes the traditional burial of the body of a deceased person. This natural way. It repeats the burial of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, cremation does not mean that the clergy refuse to carry out the funeral service and bury the ashes of the deceased. Since according to the scripture the Lord God will resurrect all souls in their body. Before acceptance important decision about the form of burial it is worth weighing all the pros and cons.

Feeding worms is a so-so prospect. This is one of the most popular reasons why many people consider cremation. Yes, and it's beautiful - to scatter ashes over the sea or in the mountains. Western media report about people whose relatives waved their ashes at Disneyland in defiance of the law. So bequeathed by the dead.

Someone proceeds from simple mathematics: the population is growing, the number of the dead is increasing. Why take up extra space after death?

Well, there are plenty of other reasons. Therefore, not everyone wants to commit their body to the earth. The way of burial, sometimes, worries us even more than the way of life. But what is the Orthodox view on this issue? Let's look at the attitude of the church towards cremation.

Orthodoxy discourages cremation due to tradition and theological reasons

The Russian Orthodox Church has several reasons to disapprove of cremation.

Reason 1. Tradition. Any religion - or almost any - is a chain of succession. She is an island of reliability and stability. Innovations in tradition are introduced rarely and cautiously. Otherwise, the heritage of the ancestors cannot be preserved.

It is very important for people to believe in the same things that their ancestors believed in. Otherwise, we get a gap in ideologies, cultures, worldviews.

Sometimes such events lead to a favorable outcome. For example, Christianity once distanced itself from Judaism and feels great. But the opposite also happens. Therefore, it is necessary to take a closer look at any things of the church, to determine for itself whether it is acceptable or not. There is a tradition of dealing with the body of the deceased. She follows for centuries. Orthodoxy has no good reasons to leave it.

Reason 2. Theology. In Orthodoxy there is an idea of ​​a respectful attitude towards the remains. It comes down to theology. The Holy Scriptures say that sooner or later everyone will rise from the dead. This process also applies to the body. In the Bible there is the idea of ​​a bodily resurrection. There is a soul, there is its temple - the flesh. If we get rid of the flesh, there is a contradiction to the idea of ​​resurrection. Although it is unlikely that this is a problem for the Lord. If desired, he is able to create anything. This is confirmed by St. Gregory the Theologian:

Gregory the Theologian

saint

“If you, holding a handful of seeds in your hand, can easily distinguish one vegetable from another, is it possible that the Lord, who holds the whole world in his handful, can something disappear or be lost?”

However, in the Orthodox environment, it is customary to treat the bodies of the deceased accordingly - as the happiness of human nature, the physical expression of its spiritual essence.

It would seem, what is so good in a mortal body? Why honor him.

Metropolitan Sourozhsky Anthony explains it very well:

Anatoly Surozhsky

Metropolitan

“This love, this care, this reverent attitude towards the body, we find in Orthodoxy; and this is reflected in an amazing way in the funeral service. We surround this body with love and attention; this body is the center of the funeral service for the deceased; not only the soul, but also the body. And indeed, if you think about it: after all, there is nothing in human experience, not only earthly, but also heavenly, that would not reach us through our body.

For Orthodox Christians, these reasons are usually enough to listen to the position of the church. But at the same time, Orthodoxy cannot interfere with the will of the dead. His opinion is advisory. It's more a question of how strong the authority of the church really is for a person. What he puts higher - her opinion or his will.

The early Christian apologist Marcus Minucius Felix writes:

Mark Minucius Felix

Early Christian apologist

“The Church believes that the Lord has the power to resurrect any body and from any element (Rev. 20:13). “We are not afraid of any damage in any way of burial, but we adhere to the old and best custom of burying the body in the ground.”

The modern Orthodox Church in most cases categorically opposes cremation and even tries to stop the construction of crematoria. Cremation in Orthodox circles is considered an act of atheism. It is believed that the burning of the body is forbidden in this biblical saying:

(1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

“Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will punish him: for the temple of God is holy; and this temple is you"

However, this interpretation does not stand up to scrutiny. Saint Theophan the Recluse explains that the temple of God is the believers gathered together. And the Spirit of God dwells in them as long as they all stick together. In his commentary, Theophan the Recluse reveals the following meaning of the verse: believers should not be divided. This is a warning against the division of the Church, but not a conversation about the fate of the bodies of the dead.

When this measure is forced, the Orthodox Church condescendingly treats the burning of bodies.

Possible different situations. For example, in some countries it is forbidden to bury in the ground. They only allow cremation. So what is an Orthodox person to do now? Become a lawbreaker for the sake of what he is unlikely to care after death? Of course not.

In such situations, the attitude of the ROC towards cremation is condescending. Caesar - Caesar's, God - God's. Otherwise, it turns out that a person is right between a rock and a hard place: the law says one thing, religion says another, and the person is to blame. In such a situation, the most judicious and fair should meet halfway. Priests recommend neglecting tradition due to circumstances.

It also happens that the decision to cremate or bury is made on the basis of finances. Well, if the deceased and his relatives do not have enough money for a place in a cemetery, a coffin, a monument, etc., what should I do? Priest Alexander Shantaev tells how the church treats such stories:

Alexander Shantaev

Priest

“If it is possible to bury a deceased close, dear person in a grave, in the ground, even if it is associated with difficulties and expenses, it is better to make every effort to do this.

If there is no such possibility, and I know that there are many such cases, I have to be cremated. This is not a sin, but a forced measure, due to external circumstances to which we have nothing to oppose.

If, at the same time, one should repent of anything, it is that they did not make advance efforts so that the body of a loved one avoided cremation.

Deceased Christian - who accepted holy baptism and after death, who was honored with a funeral service in accordance with the rite of the Orthodox Church, instead of a grave burial - cremated - can and should be commemorated at Liturgies and memorial services, like other deceased, who died in peace with the Church.

I am not aware of canons or rules that state otherwise.

Cremation is simply the destruction of a corpse, it is not of a demonic nature.

Sometimes Orthodoxy and cremation are opposed. Right heaven and hell, God and the Devil. It is not right. Burning a corpse is an event with no plus or minus, it is neutral. A completely empty action that has nothing to do with the teachings of Orthodoxy. This is not hellfire, not the machinations of demons.

So is it possible to cremate an Orthodox person? Why not? Judging in the next world will still be for actions during life, and not for how a person disposed of the body.

The main condition of Orthodoxy: if cremation has occurred for one reason or another, then the ashes must be interred. Not everyone follows this. But the church does not have any canons and measures in this respect. For abortion, for example, impose penance. For certain offenses, they are excommunicated from the church. But cremation is an empty and tertiary event. That's not what a person needs to care about.

Although other Orthodox churches (EPC, ROCOR) are more categorical regarding cremation. For example, the cremated are not buried.

The canonical Orthodox funeral consists of 8 actions from ablution to burial

All the actions described below can be carried out only after all formal procedures have been completed.

From the moment of death until burial, relatives should read the psalter. It is not necessary to be near the body. But it is important not to stop reading. It is recommended to immediately order a magpie for the deceased in the temple. It is believed that this will benefit the soul.

1. Body washing. The deceased is washed with warm water. At the same time, one should read “Lord have mercy” and “The Trisagion”. At the end, the body is combed. This ritual symbolizes that a person will be resurrected in purity and purity. At the same time, a lamp or a candle is lit in the house. It burns until the body of the deceased is carried outside.
2. Deceased's attire. A cross and clean clothes are put on the deceased. New is best. This is a symbol of renewal at the resurrection.
3. Preparing for the position in the coffin: First, the deceased is laid on the table, with his head to the icons, and covered with a shroud. At the same time, make sure that the eyes and mouth are buried. Hands are folded crosswise. Right over left. A cross is placed in the left hand, an icon is placed on the chest, facing the deceased. For men - the Savior, for women - the Virgin. Four lighted candles are placed crosswise around the deceased. Before the funeral, relatives read the canon "Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body."
4. Position in the coffin: The priest sprinkles the coffin and body with holy water. Inside put a pillow made of straw or cotton wool. Then - immerse the body. He is covered with a shroud to the waist. A funeral aureole is put on the head. A memorial service follows. The canon “Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body” is read again. Before the removal, relatives say goodbye to the deceased.
5. funeral service. The coffin is carried out feet first to the singing of the Trisagion. They perform the burial. This can be done in the temple, but it can also be done in the house. At the funeral they read excerpts from the Gospel, the "Apostle" and the permissive prayer. Then its text is put into the hand of the deceased. A funeral kutya is placed near the coffin on a table.
6. Parting. Everyone goes around the coffin and kisses for the last time - but not the deceased, but the icon on his chest or the whisk. Poems are sung. The face is covered with a shroud forever. The priest crosswise sprinkles the body with earth or specially prepared sand and says: "The Lord's earth and its fulfillment, the universe and all who live on it."
7. funeral procession. The coffin is carried feet first out of the temple (if the funeral service was held in the temple) onto a hearse. The funeral procession moves to the cemetery. Ahead, they usually carry a cross or an icon of Jesus Christ.
8. Burial. The coffin is lowered into the grave with feet to the east. At the same time they sing the Trisagion. Everyone should have burning candles. The priest again says: “The land of the Lord and its fulfillment, the universe and all who live in it,” and crosswise throws the earth on the lid of the coffin. Then everyone also throws a handful of earth. Then the coffin is buried. The cross is placed at the feet of the deceased. Wreaths and flowers are laid on the grave.

In today's densely populated world, people are increasingly thinking about committing their body not to the earth, but to fire. How the church relates to cremation and how reasonable it is to choose this method of burial, we will tell in this article.

Many people, regardless of religion, are increasingly choosing cremation today. This is not surprising, because this type of burial has its advantages:

• Rational use land resources due to the small size of the urn.
• Environmental friendliness and aesthetics.
• Small funeral expenses.
• More affordable and easier transportation.

Different religions view cremation differently. Many of them, such as Judaism and Islam, believe that the body and soul are one, therefore, by destroying the body, we also destroy the soul. Others, for example, Hinduism and Buddhism, on the contrary, are sure that when burned, the soul quickly leaves the body in which it is locked. The Catholic Church for many years forbade the cremation of the dead, but since the 1960s this ban was lifted. But the attitude of the Orthodox Church towards cremation is still extremely negative. Despite the fact that the priests agree to bury the bodies of the cremated dead, they are sure that this is a pagan rite that harms the soul of the deceased.

You may ask: if it is only a matter of time before the body is completely decomposed, then what difference does it make which method of burial was chosen: burial in the ground or cremation? The Church finds an answer to this as well. The fact is that the fact of relation to the body remains important. If the Eastern religions, which are the founders of this tradition, treat the body as a dungeon of the soul, then for Christians the body is a sacred temple. And it is not in the power of a person to decide what will happen to him even after death. The priests claim that by agreeing to cremation, people are offending the Lord himself, the one who gave us this body and instilled life into it.

However, despite the fact that the attitude of the church towards cremation is generally negative, there are many representatives of the Orthodox faith who allow the burning of the body under certain conditions. Such conditions may be the lack of funds to buy a place in the cemetery, and later the arrangement of the grave, the acquisition of a monument and a fence. An exception is also the case when close person wants to be buried with his family, but according to sanitary standards, this is not possible. The fact is that it is possible to bury the body to the deceased father, grandmother, husband or wife only when enough time has passed since the day of death. With an urn, everything is much easier. However, people should understand that it doesn’t matter for a person’s soul whether he is buried in the same grave with a loved one or not. If these were truly sincere relationships, if these people were connected by strong feelings and no less strong faith, then after death their souls will find their way to each other without any problems, even if the bodies are buried in cemeteries of different countries. Another thing is if during life one of the people was a theomachist. Then the burial in one grave will not be a guarantee that the souls will meet after death. Sometimes the church makes concessions and allows cremation for convenience. So, for an aged woman, it will certainly be difficult both physically and financially to get to one end of the city to the grave of her mother and father, to the other - to her husband, and to the neighboring city - to the cemetery where her sister is buried. It is much easier when only one burial place needs to be put in order.

Often, relatives come to church with a will of the deceased, in which it is written about the request to cremate the body. In this case, relatives are interested in how the church relates to cremation and is it possible to violate the will of the deceased? The priests insist on going against the wishes of the deceased and burying the person according to all Christian traditions. In this case, you save the soul of the deceased from a great sin. Also, do not wave ashes over some place, whether it be the sea or the home of the deceased.

If for some reason you nevertheless cremated the body of your loved one, and now you regret your deed, remember that nothing can be changed. Despite the fact that cremation and the Orthodox Church are incompatible concepts, the priests do not advise making a big tragedy out of what happened. What's done is done, and tears won't change anything. The main thing is to understand everything and repent in time. After all, God, placing people in paradise, is guided not by what happened to the body after death, but by what a person was during life.

For information about funeral homes and funeral agents, please see the Funeral Homes section of our directory.

“As a child, we ran to watch how the dead were burned in the crematorium. We sneaked to the small window and looked at the coffin enveloped in flames. that they burn a living person. We ran away in horror. Then at night I was tormented by nightmares. But all the same, we were drawn to the window like a magnet ... ". I often think of this passage from my aunt's childhood memoirs. More often than I would like, for last years more than once I had to participate in the farewell ceremony on the last journey. And often these farewells took place in the building of the crematorium.

About crematoria, about what happens in the building itself, where access to relatives and friends of the deceased is closed, there are a lot of the most incredible, chilling stories. Where is the truth, and where is fiction, we will try to figure it out.

In Europe, the Etruscans burned their dead, then the Greeks and Romans adopted this custom. Christianity declared cremation to be paganism. In 785, Charlemagne banned cremation under threat of death, and it was forgotten for about a thousand years. But in the XVI-XVII centuries. cities in Europe began to gradually turn into metropolises, and a big problem arose with the organization of cemeteries. In some graveyards, the dead began to be buried in large common graves, which were open for many days. Often cemeteries were located in the human habitat, which was the cause of the spread of diseases. The idea of ​​burning the bodies of the dead arose again. Starting from the XVI century. in Europe, funeral pyres began to be used for sanitary and hygienic purposes. However, the problem was creating suitable way burning - bonfires were not good. This method was invented only at the end of the 19th century. On October 9, 1874, the first hot-air cremation took place in a regenerative oven designed by the German engineer Friedrich Siemens. And the first modern crematorium was built in 1876 in Milan. Currently, there are more than 14.3 thousand crematoria operating in the world

On the territory of Russia, the first crematorium was built not after the 17th year, as many people think, but even before the October Revolution, in Vladivostok, using a Japanese-made furnace. Probably for the cremation of citizens of the country rising sun(At that time, many people from Nagasaki lived in Vladivostok). Today, a crematorium is again operating in this city, this time for the Russians.

The first crematorium in the RSFSR (the "Metallurg" oven) was opened in 1920 in the building of baths, house No. 95-97 on the 14th line of Vasilevsky Island in Petrograd. Even the act of the first cremation in the history of Soviet Russia has been preserved, signed by the chairman of the Standing Commission for the Construction of the 1st State Crematorium and Mortuary, the manager of the administration department of the Petrogubispolkom comrade. B.G. Kaplun and other persons present at this event. In the act, in particular, it is written: "On December 14, 1920, we, the undersigned, carried out the first experimental burning of the corpse of the Red Army soldier Malyshev, aged 19, in a cremation oven in the building of the 1st State Crematorium - V.O., 14 line, 95/97. The body is pushed into the oven at 0 hours 30 minutes, and the temperature of the furnace at that moment was equal to an average of 800 C with the action of the left regenerator. The coffin flared up at the moment it was pushed into the combustion chamber and fell apart 4 minutes after its introduction there ". The following are details that I have chosen to omit so as not to injure impressionable readers.

The furnace did not work for long, from December 14, 1920 to February 21, 1921, and was stopped "for lack of firewood." During this period of time, 379 bodies were burned in it, most of which they were burned in an administrative order, and 16 - at the request of relatives or according to a will.

Finally and irrevocably, fiery funerals entered everyday life. Soviet people in 1927, when in Moscow, in the Donskoy Monastery, a "department of atheism" was opened, as the atheistic propaganda then called this crematorium. The monastery church of St. Seraphim of Sarov was converted into a crematorium. The first customers of the institution were trusted comrades - "knights of the revolution". In the columbarium, located in the temple, on cremation urns one can read inscriptions, such as: "Bolshevik-Chekist", "member of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, steadfast Bolshevik", "one of the oldest figures of the Bolshevik Party". In general, fiery revolutionaries were supposed to have a flame even after death. After 45 years, another crematorium was built in the city - this time the largest in Europe - at the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery, in 1985 - at Mitinsky, and after another 3 years - at Khovansky. There are also crematoria in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Vladivostok; On July 7 last year, a crematorium was opened in Novosibirsk.

Despite the increased propaganda, the citizens of the USSR treated this type of burial with distrust and fear. Partly (but only partly) this is due to the negative attitude towards cremation of traditional religions, because in monotheistic religions cremation is prohibited or at least not welcomed. Judaism categorically forbids the cremation of the body. Jewish tradition regards cremation as an offensive custom, dating back to the pagan practice of burning the dead on funeral pyres. Burning the body of a person is unacceptable in Islam. If this happens, the sin falls on those who committed the burning. The Orthodox Church regards cremation as an "alien custom", a "heretical way of burial". The Greek Orthodox Church stubbornly opposes the introduction of cremation. As stated by the official representative of the Holy Synod, Bishop of Alexandroupolis Antimos, commenting on a bill submitted by seven members of parliament that allows this ceremony for members of non-Orthodox (!) Congregations of Greece: "Cremation is an act of violence, an insult to humanity, an expression of nihilism ...". The overwhelming majority of Russian Orthodox priests are also categorically against fiery burial. “The burning of the dead may be a violation of the Church’s teaching on the veneration of the remains of the holy martyrs and saints and deprive Orthodox Christians of holy relics,” says priest I. Ryabko. “As for ordinary mortals, burning, among other things, deprives believers of that spiritual edification and reminder death, which they receive when burying bodies in the ground. From this it follows that, from a purely Orthodox point of view, the burning of the dead is recognized as an innovation alien and unacceptable in the Christian faith. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, voiced the official position of the Russian Orthodox Church: “We have a negative attitude towards cremation. Of course, if relatives ask for a funeral service for the deceased before cremation, church ministers do not refuse them. prevent the destruction of the body created by God." However, there is also a lobby in the Russian Orthodox Church that advocates not to anathematize crematoria. Moreover, they say that the crematorium opened in Novosibirsk last year was consecrated. And in general, rumors have been persistently circulating lately (which representatives of the ROC do not confirm) that the construction of crematoria in all major cities has long been agreed with the church authorities and there is a blessing from the ROC in fact high level. Probably, the rumors arose due to the fact that priests work in all crematoria in Russia, who bury the dead before cremation, and some crematoria have chapels.

Other branches of Christianity look at this method of burial somewhat differently. Lutherans and Protestants were the first to approve cremation. And in 1963, albeit with reservations, cremation was allowed by the Catholic Church.

But, I repeat, the reason for the cool (forgive the pun) attitude towards fire funerals is not only in the religious beliefs of our citizens. main reason- Numerous horror stories, which have been passed from mouth to mouth for many years, about the "horrors" happening in crematoria. I, like many other citizens, have repeatedly heard that the dead are undressed, gold teeth and crowns are pulled out, coffins are rented out, and clothes taken from the dead are handed over to commission shops. At one time, Mikhail Veller's story "The Crematorium" added fuel to the fire, which describes how the workers of this institution in Leningrad undressed the dead before cremation, and handed over the clothes to a nearby thrift store. Let me briefly remind you what the essence of the story is: a man won a car in a money and clothing lottery, drank to celebrate, and died. He was cremated (allegedly along with the ticket, which was in the pocket of the suit). A few days later the widow of the deceased went to the commission shop, where she saw her husband's suit. Of course, the same ticket turned out to be in her pocket ... By the way, as my mother told me, she heard this tale about a suit and a ticket (a bond with a big win) in her childhood, when Weller also couldn’t hold a pen in his hands.

I managed to talk with an employee of one of the Moscow crematoria. Of course, I wanted to know the "whole truth" about what was going on there. An attempt was even made to get Ivan drunk (the name was changed at his request, since employees of the funeral services generally prefer not to advertise their place of work). Ivan willingly drank with me, but did not tell any terrible secrets. And in response to a question about the clothes supposedly taken from the corpses, he laughed: “Old man, how do you imagine it? to hire seamstresses, mechanics and shoemakers. So, or what? In general, this is complete nonsense. " “What about gold?” I persisted. “Are you sure you are removing jewels from the dead?

And yet, where do the jewels go? In general, agents, when they draw up documents for cremation, offer the customer to remove from the deceased Jewelry. But if the relatives leave everything as it is, then the following happens during cremation. In cremation equipment there is such a thing - a cremulator. It is designed to grind the remains of bones after cremation. With the help of an electric magnet, all metal inclusions are removed from the ashes: nails, coffin handles, metal prostheses, etc. When the first crematoria appeared in the USSR, in order to prevent the operator of the cremation oven from stealing gold from dentures, wedding rings, etc., control was established over the delivery of all non-magnetic metals to the state. All the metal that the fire did not take, the special commission was obliged to hand over to the state (these rules still exist today). However, as it turned out, the temperature in the furnace is so high that gold, silver and other precious metals melt and, connecting with the remains, turn into dispersed dust, from which it is almost impossible to extract anything of value. Of course, there is a possibility that the crematorium servants can seize valuables even before the deceased is sent to the furnace. However, until now, since the existence of crematoria, there has not been a single such criminal case. In principle, this can be explained by the mutual responsibility of the workers of the crematorium, but somehow it is hard to believe that information about the crimes did not leak to law enforcement agencies.

As for the coffins, which are allegedly allowed "left", both my new friend Ivan and quite officials unanimously assure that the technological feature of modern furnaces is such that they cannot work without a coffin. In general, the process of cremation is as follows. After the coffin, which is boarded up or closed on the latches, gets into the domino drive, a metal plate with an engraved number is nailed, the coffin is sealed. If it is decorated with metal, plastic crosses, handles, they are removed so as not to pollute the atmosphere with harmful emissions, and also so that the stove nozzles last longer. After the end of the cremation, along with the remains, the number plate is removed from the ashes and the numbers are checked to eliminate confusion with the issuance of someone else's ashes (one of the common fears is that someone else's remains will be given out). By the way, in some crematoria there is a glazed viewing room for relatives and friends, from where you can watch how the coffin goes into the oven. Only one deceased can be cremated in the oven at a time; before loading the next one, it is carefully cleaned. Another interesting detail is that in modern crematoria, in order to turn on the furnace, you need to have a key with a cipher and know a special code.

In general, rumors about outrages in crematoria, as they say, are greatly exaggerated. However, the crematorium, however, like the entire sphere of funeral services, is a good feeder for those who work there. You can always steal extra money from the relatives and relatives of the deceased who are not thinking well from grief. So, for example, employees of the ritual hall of the crematorium - it seems they are called masters of ceremonies - are often asked to give "for candles", for "requiem", for "remember dearly the deceased" ... And people, of course, give. By the way, one of my acquaintances cherished the dream of getting a job in a crematorium, because she heard that they earn good money there. But she didn't succeed. It turned out that getting into this institution without patronage is just as difficult as it used to be to enter MGIMO without bribes and blasphemy. The amount she had to pay for employment turned out to be unbearable for her.

Today, as at the dawn of Soviet power, there is again an intensified propaganda of fiery burial. Even historical examples are cited in favor of crematoria, which show that the burning of the dead was the norm among many peoples, including the ancient Slavs. The countries where cremation is widespread are also cited as an example: USA, Japan, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Denmark... Cremation is presented as the most hygienic and environmentally friendly way of burial. But the point is not in ecology (in any case, not only in it), but in the earth. Cities are growing and demanding new territories. Cremation does not allow cemeteries to grow strongly and "capture" priceless land. But ordinary people Of course, it's not all that that worries, but the cost of the funeral. Cremation is cheaper than regular burial. That is why in the last ten years the tradition of cremating the dead among poor residents of large Russian cities(primarily Moscow and St. Petersburg) is gaining popularity. Wealthier people can afford to pay for traditional funerals and land at the cemetery, while those who are poorer have to resort to fire burial.

The Russian people, having adopted Orthodoxy, did not completely outlive pagan customs. They manifest themselves most visibly precisely in the burial rite, the secrets and many fears of which no one has been able to recognize. Death is not the end, death is the beginning. We mourn for our dead with a sense of deprivation, but with the hope of uniting with them in eternity.

The holy fathers and teachers of the Church have always warned against prejudices and superstitions, by which ancient Christians were sometimes deceived. It can be said with all obviousness that superstition, following all sorts of signs and customs, observing ridiculous external forms some rites, including funeral ones, are explained by a lack of knowledge about them. Superstition, or vain faith, a faith based on nothing, is unworthy of true Christians.

The Orthodox Church teaches us, when we remember death, not to think of it unequivocally - either as a triumph or as a grief. The image that God gives us in the Bible and the Gospels is more complex. There is tragedy in death, death is monstrous, death should not be. Death is a consequence of our loss of God. However, there is another side to death: no matter how narrow its gates, this is the only hope to avoid the vicious circle of infinity at a distance from God. Death is not the end, death is the beginning. This door opens and lets us into the expanse of eternity, which would be forever closed to us if death did not release us from the slavery of the earth.

It is impossible not to grieve for us when, dying, those whom we love leave us. We will mourn our dead, because a loved one has left us, but we will mourn him in a Christian way. We weep over the dead, because man is not called to die, man is called to eternal life. Death entered life through human falling away from God Therefore, death as such is a tragedy. On the other hand, she is liberation. If it were necessary to live, never dying, in the limitations of earthly life that we know, there would be an inescapable nightmare .... There are a number of places in the service for the deceased, where he seems to say: do not weep for me ...

We mourn for our dead with a sense of deprivation, but with the hope of uniting with them in eternity.

Therefore, the splendor of the funeral, the folk accompaniment of the coffin, the care for the burial, sparing no expense, the arrangement of rich monuments somewhat console the living, but do not help the dead. They do not help, but vain prejudices, fabrications, such as those cited above, undoubtedly harm.

The Russian people, having adopted Orthodoxy, did not completely outlive pagan customs. They manifest themselves most visibly precisely in the burial rite, the secrets and many fears of which no one has been able to recognize. There are many unwritten and sometimes strange rituals, which, nevertheless, are passed down from generation to generation and are performed with almost more zeal than church prayer rites. In the 20th century, when the Church was in a disadvantaged position in society, these pagan superstitions became widespread. They are performed without thinking about the meaning, even by people who consider themselves atheists.

For example, there is a non-Orthodox pagan custom when an ax is placed under the coffin of the deceased, coins are thrown into the coffin, into the grave. Or, when a dead person is carried out, tables and chairs are turned over in the house. That is unnecessary. All this is connected with pagan customs. Weeping for the deceased is also a non-church tradition.

It was believed among undeveloped peoples that if a person is buried without an arm or leg, then in that world he will remain a cripple. This pagan prejudice served as the basis of delusion among some Christians, who feared that on the Day of Judgment their loved one would rise from the dead without a limb and remain disabled for eternity. But if the limb, separated from the body, was considered by the deluded, to be buried together with the corpse, then the problem will be resolved, and the person will be resurrected in his full form. The severed limbs were carefully kept so that they could, when the time came, be placed in a coffin. Even teeth that had fallen out or torn out were kept, sometimes for many years, and placed in the grave along with their teeth. former owners. These notions often caused death when amputations were delayed until it was too late.

The custom of hanging mirrors in the house of the deceased is also associated with the tradition of folk origin and has nothing to do with Orthodox rite burial of the deceased. Explanations for this custom are ridiculously naive. Mirrors are closed so that the soul of the deceased, seeing himself, is not afraid. Another interpretation: so that the deceased does not frighten relatives. It is also believed that through the mirror the soul can go into the dark world"through the looking glass", where the devil reigns and demons rule.

It must be said that different funeral prejudices., is a problem not only of our time, when entire generations grow up in disbelief and ignorance of God. And in pre-revolutionary times, there were plenty of all kinds of superstitions associated with death and the burial rite.

Let us name some customs and beliefs that Orthodox Christians should not follow and take into account:

- put money, things and products in the coffin;

- put a pancake on the face of the deceased, and then eat it, believing that this destroys the sins of the deceased;

- to believe that a person who returned to the house after the removal of the body and before returning from the cemetery would certainly die;

- at the commemoration, put a glass of vodka and bread “for the deceased”;

- keep this "funeral glass" until the fortieth day;

- pour vodka into the grave mound;

- say: "May the earth rest in peace";

- to believe that the soul of the deceased can take the form of a bird or a bee;

- to believe that if the deceased is not revered, then his soul remains on earth as a ghost;

- to believe that a person who accidentally stood between the coffin and the altar during the funeral service will certainly die soon;

- to believe that the burial ground, which is given at the funeral service in absentia, cannot be kept at home for more than one day;

- to believe that cremation can cause illness in the children or grandchildren of the person being cremated;

- to believe that the bodies of those burned in the fire will not be resurrected on the Day of Judgment.

Cremation

Cremation is a special topic. Now this custom, unconventional for Orthodoxy, is being actively discussed in society to burn (cremate) the bodies of the dead. Around him, too, a lot of speculation and superstition.

This new custom for Russia, which is becoming popular due to its relative cheapness, came to us from the pagan East. Oriental religious teachings contain the idea of ​​reincarnation (reincarnation), according to which the soul repeatedly comes to earth, changing the bodily shells. So paganism sees in the body not the temple of the soul, but its prison. The term of stay in another prison is over - you need to burn it and scatter the ashes in the wind.

The Orthodox Church allows cremation only under force majeure circumstances.- the lack of places in cemeteries or the extreme scarcity of funds for burial. All funeral prayers, including the funeral service, are performed over the cremated without changes. Before burning the body, the icon or crucifix must be removed from the coffin, and the aureole and sheet with the permissive prayer should be left.

There is a fear among Christians that burning will inevitably doom the deceased to hellish torments (parallels are drawn between the fire of the crematorium and the fire of hell). On this account, back in the second century, the Christian apologist Minucius Felix said: “We are not afraid ... of any damage in any way of burial, but we adhere to the old and better custom of burying the body in the earth.” In the book of the monk Mitrofan “How our dead live and how we will live after death” we read: “No matter how our body is destroyed, its elements are not destroyed; and it is possible for the omnipotence of God to resurrect the body from the existing elements, whether it be burned or eaten by wild beasts. The elements, having heard the voice of the Creator, will gather to fulfill their purpose to form the human body; they will gather in exactly the same way as the fish heard the voice of the Son of God and immediately gathered in nets, lowered into the sea by the holy apostles at the command of Jesus Christ. This is the great secret."

It should be noted at the same time that cremation, from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, is not an edifying act; it instills in the soul, rather, despair than hope for the resurrection. The posthumous fate of each deceased is in the hands of God and does not depend on the method of burial.

absentee funeral

Recently, there have been many superstitions around the rank of absentee funeral service. This question deserves special attention. In this regard, the following should be clarified. The practice of performing the funeral "in absentia" can only be justified when it is not possible to deliver the deceased to the temple of God.

Previously, the funeral service in absentia was allowed by the Church only in the case when the body of the deceased was not available for burial (fires, floods, wars and other emergencies).

Now this phenomenon has become widespread: firstly, due to the lack of churches in many cities and villages; secondly, because of the high cost of transport and other funeral services, as a result of which the relatives of the deceased Christian decide to save money on the funeral service. The latter is extremely unfortunate, since it is better to refuse commemoration, wreaths, tombstones, but make every effort and bring the body to the temple, in extreme cases, call the priest home or at the cemetery. Nevertheless, the Church goes to meet the needs of the people and in special cases performs the funeral service in absentia, somewhat shortened compared to the usual one.

An absentee funeral must be ordered on the day of the funeral, not forgetting to take the death certificate to the church. It is enough that at least one of the relatives of the deceased prayed in the temple. The priest will give him a whisk, a scroll of paper with the text of the permissive prayer and a bag of earth. As already mentioned, the whisk should be placed on the forehead of the deceased, prayer - in right hand, and scatter the earth over the body crosswise from head to feet and from the right shoulder to the left.

It happens that an absentee funeral is performed some time after the funeral. Then the burial earth should be scattered over the grave, and the whisk and prayer should be buried in the grave mound to a shallow depth. If the grave is very far away or in an unknown place, then the aureole and prayer are burned, and the earth is scattered on any grave on which an Orthodox cross is installed.

The funeral service, like Baptism, is performed once. But if it is impossible to establish for certain whether a person was buried or not, you need, without embarrassment, to order an absentee funeral service, and the sooner the better. To believe in prejudice means to be in confrontation with the Church.

To believe in prejudices is to be in confrontation with the Church

Many other signs and superstitions related to death and burial can be cited. Every settlement has its own peculiar burial traditions passed down from generation to generation. Primarily older women consider themselves knowledgeable and enlightened in these traditions and take upon themselves the right during the funeral to monitor their observance, often not only ignoring the blessing of the priest, but openly and publicly mocking him. They do not understand at all, and sometimes, on the contrary, they deliberately put themselves in confrontation with the teachings of the Church and the holy fathers.

Any sorcery and witchcraft is unacceptable in Orthodox traditions including burial traditions. Any such information should be approached with great caution, remembering the harm to the soul and health brought by contacts with such people. It must be remembered that the devil is the father of lies and with his army makes every effort to lead a person astray in the truth and alienate him from the Church and its true teaching. During the funeral, the only guide that can protect you from outright witchcraft and corruption can only be priest's blessing.

In conclusion, it must be said that every Christian who has even a modicum of courage and civic responsibility is simply obliged to help a fellow believer or a person who is almost ready to set foot on the Church's path of salvation in Christ, in a correct understanding of Divine truths. We are all mortal, but this irrefutable truth is deprived of spiritual depth and turns into a banality outside the teachings of the Church, which testifies that man was created by God for immortality. All superstitions and fabrications around this main issue are destructive for the soul of an Orthodox Christian.

Hieromonk Dometian, priest of the house chapel “The Savior Not Made by Hands”, Novosibirsk