Safe Luxury

what is a burial vault and whats the difference between a vault and a coffin?

Public Comments

1. My guess is that a vault is much like a mausoleum in that entire families can be interred within it's walls. Just a guess though )O(
2. A coffin is the case a body is put in when it is buried or cremated, usually made of wood. A coffin, with the body inside, can be buried directly into the earth, or it can be put in a vault, which is a (usually stone) tomb in which the coffin can be put. In the USA only, a burial vault can also mean an outer non-wooden casing for the coffin, used to stop the coffin being squashed by the weight of ground above it. The body is put in the coffin and the coffin is put in the vault before being buried. If a coffin is buried without a vault, over a period of years the ground over the coffin will sink as the coffin and the body inside rot. It is normal to see in European cemeteries and churchyards that the ground is not completely flat because of this, and also to see gravestones that have tilted or fallen over as the ground sinks under them. Sometimes more earth is added on top of the grave to level it off, but more often than not the grave is left as it is. We're (I'm British) used to seeing this, but many American cemeteries like their grounds to look tidier and insist on a vault being used.