The Mausoleum of Galla Placida is one of the earliest surviving Christian structures. It was built approximately in 425-26. It served as a funerary chapel and was once connected to the narthex of the church of the imperial palace. This palace was built for Galla Placida’s son when she ruled the west in 425-c.440. Galla Placida and her family were supposedly buried here. The small building was built in the shape of a cross, and has a pendant dome. The inside of the Mausoleum differs greatly from the inside. The inside is covered with intricate paintings, and some of the walls are even made of marble. The unembellished exterior of the chapel leading to the adorned inside simulates the passage of the real world to the supernatural world.
It is very amazing to me that a woman had something so grand created for her and her family to be buried in. Today people often have family plots set aside for when they die so they can be buried with their families. It is highly unlikely to see an extravagant building with murals, marble walls, and mosaics, built just for someone to be buried in. If you want to get a little bit more fancy with your funeral arrangements you could ask to be cremated. It is very interesting to compare the differences of death and the arrangements after death to how people do things now. Funerary chapels or elaborate burials were very important to people.
I think you are correct on the point of how the changes in burials have been quite drastic compared to the era of the picture above. Today most people put there money into the casket itself but as far as the burial site a standard headstone does just fine. The only thing is is that in todays society we look back at the important wealthy people as we find more info on them then we do the people who were not so important. This includes how they chose to be buried.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog the Mausoleum of Galla Placida looks very beautiful! I agree with what chris wrote, that most people today put their money into the caskets. And probably back then considering the Placida family probably had alot of money to be able to afford to build such an amazing structure, compared to today most of the money is spent on the funeral itself, remembering the person.
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