Standard grave depth. Why are they buried at a depth of two meters? Culture and religion

Since ancient times, people have been burying their dead. Accompanied by the mourning living, the dead go to the land from which they came. Funeral rites were present in all cultures, although sometimes they had significant differences. One of the most common ways of burial was and remains burial in earthen graves.

It is even worse if the death was caused by an infectious disease. Terrible epidemics that claimed thousands of lives were often caused by the opening of old graves and the release of pathogens dormant there.

How deep is the grave dug?

How to conduct a burial ritual correctly? What is the depth of the grave to comply with all the requirements of the rite and prevent possible dangers to the health of living people? The depth of digging a grave is determined by several factors. The grave must reliably protect the body from erosion by groundwater, natural disasters (for example, landslides), and torn by animals. Therefore, it cannot be located either too deep, where it will be threatened by the waters of the soil, nor too superficial.

The first of the Russian rulers who realized the need to form and observe certain sanitary rules that determine how deep the grave should be, was Peter the Great. In 1723, by royal decree, he ordered to dig graves to a depth of at least 3 arshins, which is just over 2 meters in the modern system of measures. With this command, the ruler hoped to prevent possible epidemics, and, as time has shown, he was right. Failure to comply with the decree, the poor condition of the cemeteries led to the plague in 1771. Alexander I introduced punishments for "funeral crimes" - non-compliance with the norm of the depth of the grave.

But the problem did not disappear, there was a catastrophic lack of cemeteries and places for them. Cases of burial of new dead in old graves were the norm. Only at the very end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century did the situation begin to change, clear instructions were developed, it was determined how deep the grave was dug and how cemeteries were arranged, and serious control over the implementation of these instructions was created.

Grave depth according to sanitary standards

The arrangement of cemeteries is specified in detail by federal legislation and regulations of local authorities. All rules are based on clearly formulated and time-tested standards of sanitation and ecology.

What determines the depth of the grave for a person?

Earth

The deceased returns to the earth, and the depth of the grave will depend largely on its, earth, properties. Two meters deep, the soil must be dry and light, let air through, otherwise a cemetery cannot be arranged on such land.

Water

The body must be protected as much as possible from contact with groundwater. This is necessary in order to avoid contamination of water with putrefactive decomposition products of organic matter. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to locate cemeteries in areas where groundwater is more than two meters deep from the surface of the earth. It is the properties of the soil and the level of standing groundwater that must be guided by determining the depth of the grave in each specific area.

Natural disasters

A logical ban on the construction of cemeteries in areas prone to frequent landslides and collapses, flooding, in swampy areas.

Culture and religion

Some religions have clear prescriptions for every stage of the life of believers, including for the arrangement of the grave and burial. Of course, they must be observed in strict accordance with the requirements of sanitation, otherwise serious problems cannot be avoided.

Grave depth according to GOST

All the circumstances affecting the grave itself and ensuring sanitary safety were carefully revised and formalized in the form of a federal law. It is called "On Burial and Funeral Business", and all actions in this area must be coordinated with it.

1. The maximum depth of the grave pit should be no more than 2.2 meters. Further immersion threatens close contact with the waters of the soil. Depending on local conditions, the depth may vary, but the distance to groundwater in any case should be at least half a meter.
2. The minimum depth in accordance with the law is one and a half meters (measured to the coffin lid).
3. The measurements of the grave pit are at least 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, 1.5 meters deep. The size of children's graves can be reduced. The distances between grave pits should not be less than a meter on the long side and less than half a meter on the short side.
4. A slab or an embankment must be installed over the grave. There are also certain requirements for it, so it should be no more than half a meter in height. The embankment is an additional protection of the grave from the effects of surface water, it should protrude beyond the edges of the grave pit.
5. If the deceased is buried in a sitting position, it is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the earth layer above him is not less than one meter, including the grave mound.
6. In exceptional cases, mass graves are dug to a depth of at least two and a half meters (when coffins are buried in two rows). The bottom of the grave pit, of course, should not reach the groundwater level by at least half a meter. The upper row of the burial is at least half a meter away from the lower one.

Compliance with the rules for the construction of cemeteries and a certain depth of digging graves ensures the sanitary safety of the population and should be carried out everywhere.

This tradition dates back to 1655, when all of England was devastated by the bubonic plague. During these terrible years, people were afraid of the spread of infection, and the mayor of London issued a special decree that regulated how to deal with the bodies of dead people in order to avoid the spread of infections and infections. It was then that it was decided to bury the graves to a depth of 6 feet (2 meters). Many people doubted that this was the right decision, because the infection was primarily carried by insects, not dead bodies. Be that as it may, this standard has remained to this day.

In the US, for example, the depth standard varies from state to state. In many cases it is 18 inches. It turns out that the authorities of some states believe that one and a half meters is enough. But there are also cases when dead people are placed at a depth of 4 meters: this is done so that there is room on the surface for other dead people. Usually this procedure is used in the case of relatives and close people.

2 meters of depth is considered today the most common standard. Depths greater than this can cause problems, for example in New Orleans, where there are many undercurrents. Moreover, there were cases when coffins buried too deep were pushed out from the bottom of the soil.

In Great Britain, for example, people adhere to the same standard adopted several centuries ago. It is clear that the reason is quite different. It is impossible to bury too close to the surface, so that the corpse, for example, is not dug up by animals, so that it is not exposed in heavy rain, etc.; And it's hard to dig too deep.

However, in the modern English-speaking world, "six feet" is more of an idiom than a real rule. The dead are buried at different depths, depending on local conditions and customs.

Some associate this directly with church customs. The land for burial in Christianity is consecrated, and only its upper three meters are “consecrated”. Therefore, the desire to bury the dead precisely at such a depth is associated either with a historical habit or with religious beliefs.

We find examples in the literature of how suicides, hypocrites (at that time it was considered sinful) and other unworthy people sought to be buried either outside the cemetery fence, or below the level of three meters. Among other things, there are purely pragmatic reasons. In our latitudes, the depth of freezing of the earth is up to 180 cm (just 6 feet). Above this level, the water in the soil freezes in winter and melts in summer - expanding and contracting. Accordingly, it stirs and shakes everything that is at an insufficient depth. Below the level of freezing, the dead are somehow calmer. Coffins will last longer.

In addition to ritual burial, it also has important practical significance. Having said goodbye to the soul, the body loses its vitality and begins to rapidly decompose. This process poses a serious danger to living people; cadaveric substances released during decay can be deadly. It is even worse if the death was caused by an infectious disease. Terrible epidemics that claimed thousands of lives were often caused by the opening of old graves and the release of pathogens dormant there.

The first of the Russian rulers who realized the need to form and observe certain sanitary rules that determine how deep the grave should be was Peter the Great. In 1723, by royal decree, he ordered to dig graves to a depth of at least 3 arshins, which is just over 2 meters in the modern system of measures. With this command, the ruler hoped to prevent possible epidemics, and, as time has shown, he was right. Failure to comply with the decree, the poor condition of the cemeteries led to the plague in 1771.

Alexander I introduced punishments for "funeral crimes" - non-compliance with the norm of the depth of the grave. But the problem did not disappear, there was a catastrophic lack of cemeteries and places for them. Cases of burial of new dead in old graves were the norm. Only at the very end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century did the situation begin to change, clear instructions were developed, it was determined how deep the grave was dug and how cemeteries were arranged, and serious control over the implementation of these instructions was created.

Grave depth according to sanitary standards

What determines the depth of the grave for a person

- Earth

The deceased returns to the ground, and the depth of the grave will depend largely on its properties. Two meters deep, the soil must be dry and light, let air through, otherwise a cemetery cannot be arranged on such land.

- Water

- Natural disasters

A logical ban on the construction of cemeteries in areas prone to frequent landslides and collapses, flooding, in swampy areas.

- Culture and religion

Grave depth according to GOST

There is GOST R 54611-2011 - these are household services. Services for the organization and conduct of funerals. General requirements All circumstances affecting the grave itself and ensuring sanitary safety were carefully revised and formalized in the form of a federal law. It is called "On Burial and Funeral Business", and all actions in this area must be coordinated with it.

1. The maximum depth of the grave pit should be no more than 2.2 meters. Further immersion threatens close contact with the waters of the soil. Depending on local conditions, the depth may vary, but the distance to groundwater in any case should be at least half a meter.

2. The minimum depth in accordance with the law is one and a half meters (measured to the coffin lid).

3. The measurements of the grave pit are at least 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, 1.5 meters deep. The size of children's graves can be reduced. The distances between grave pits should not be less than a meter on the long side and less than half a meter on the short side.

4. A slab or an embankment must be installed over the grave. There are also certain requirements for it, so it should be no more than half a meter in height. The embankment is an additional protection of the grave from the effects of surface water, it should protrude beyond the edges of the grave pit.

5. If the deceased is buried in a sitting position, it is necessary to ensure that the thickness of the earth layer above him is not less than one meter, including the grave mound.

6. In exceptional cases, mass graves are dug to a depth of at least two and a half meters (when coffins are buried in two rows). The bottom of the grave pit, of course, should not reach the groundwater level by at least half a meter. The upper row of the burial is at least half a meter away from the lower one.

Compliance with the rules for the construction of cemeteries and a certain depth of digging graves ensures the sanitary safety of the population and should be carried out everywhere.

when burying a coffin with a body, the depth of the grave should be determined depending on local conditions (the nature of the soil and the level of standing groundwater); at the same time, the depth should be at least 1.5 m (from the surface of the earth to the lid of the coffin). In all cases, the mark of the bottom of the grave should be 0.5 m above the groundwater level. The depth of the graves should be no more than 2-2.2 m. The grave mound should be made 0.3-0.5 m high from the ground.

The Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities approved the rules for the maintenance and improvement of cemeteries, according to the National Legal Portal. They talk about how burial places and graves should be equipped.

Here are some of the new rules:

The territory of the cemetery is equipped with convenient entrances, through which a hearse can reach the place of burial and which allow carrying out work on the maintenance and improvement of the grave.
At the central entrance, main passage or alley, ritual sites are arranged on the territory of the existing burial places.
The main passage to the cemetery should be 6.0-9.0 m wide to allow for two-way traffic. Sidewalks with a width of at least 0.75 m should be provided along the main thoroughfare on both sides.
The main and additional passages between sectors, passageways in alleys, as well as areas at the entrance to the cemetery, paths to water intake points and public toilets, garbage collection sites are arranged with a hard surface in such a way as to ensure the runoff of atmospheric and melt water from the territory of the burial place .
It is allowed to arrange additional passages (the main passage for rural cemeteries) and footpaths from a gravel-sand mixture.
Rural cemeteries should have a garbage platform, a fence and, if necessary, a public toilet.
At the central entrance and additional entrances to the territory of the cemeteries, car parking and (or) stops for passenger transport are provided.
When designing and erecting (reconstructing) burial places, mainly in the city, it is provided for outdoor lighting of the territory at the central entrance (main entrance) and, if technically possible, at additional entrances.
The distance between the burial sites in a row on the long sides of the graves is set at a rate of at least 0.5 m, on the short sides - at least 1 m.
The depth of the grave at the burial site should be at least 1.5 m, taking into account local soil and climatic conditions. The distance from the bottom of the grave to the groundwater level must be at least 0.5 m. Immediately after burial, a tomb mound 0.5 m high from the ground must be built above the grave. The grave mound should protrude beyond the edges of the grave to protect it from surface water.
The fences in the cemetery should be up to 40 cm high, the maximum height of the grave structures should not exceed 1.8 m.
Subburial in an existing grave of a coffin with the body (remains) of the deceased spouse (wife), or one of the close relatives, other deceased relatives and in-laws may be carried out after 20 years after the first burial, carried out to a depth of at least 1.5 m, or if there is free space (within the burial site, fence, flower garden) with a size of at least 1 meter in width.

When relatives of the deceased apply, as a rule, it is allowed to carry out a burial with the calculation of the subsequent burial in the second row in height until 20 years after the first burial. In this case, the depth of the grave for the first burial must be at least 2.5 m and the distance from the bottom of the grave to the groundwater level must be at least 0.5 m, and the depth of the grave for the second burial must be at least 1.5 m.

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Sooner or later, every person has to experience the pain of losing a loved one. In the Orthodox religion, it is customary not to bury a person, but to bury him in a cemetery. But surely few people thought about why the dead are buried at 2 meters. We must immediately make a reservation that this is the world standard, but it may vary slightly in one direction or another, depending on the region.

The history of the standard

In English, there is a phrase "six feet down." It means death or burial, because exactly 6 feet means 2 meters. This tradition dates back as far as 1655. At that time in England there was a large number of deaths due to the plague disease.

For this reason, people were very afraid of the infection, which spread very quickly. To protect the population from infections, London issued a decree to make burials exactly 6 feet. That is why they bury two meters, because from such a depth, according to the measure, the infection cannot spread. Many people do not agree with this opinion. But be that as it may, this tradition has remained alive to this day.

Why are they buried to a depth of 2 meters - a modern version

Of course, modern people try to adhere to the traditions regarding the digging of grave pits. But as mentioned above, its depth may vary slightly depending on the region. This is due to the fact that each region has different climate conditions. After all, it is very important to choose such a depth of the grave during burial in order to protect the body as much as possible from groundwater and so that animals do not dig a hole and torment the body.

The depth of the grave depends on the following factors:

Earth. It should be light and airy, breathable and dry. Otherwise, it is impossible to equip a cemetery on land that does not meet the standards.
Water. The body should be protected as much as possible from the ingress of groundwater into it. First of all, this is done in order to avoid contamination of water with putrefactive decomposition products of organic substances.
Natural disasters. It is not allowed to equip the cemetery in areas where landslides, landslides and floods often occur.

According to GOST standards, the grave pit should be 2 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 1.5 to 2.2 meters deep. What kind of pit the cemetery workers will dig depends also on local conditions. The main thing is that the standards are not violated.

The Lord is always with you!