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M

MARTYRIUM

final resting place for the remains of a martyr or saint

MAUSOLEA

more than one mausoleum or external free-standing structures, acting as both monument and place of interment, usually for individuals or family groups

MAUSOLEUM

any elaborate building or above ground structure intended as a burial place for one or any number of people, with interments being conducted within the walls and floor of the building

MEGALITHIC TOMBS

prehistoric places of interment, often for large communities, constructed of large stones and originally covered with an earthen mound

MEMENTO MORI

(Latin) A common tombstone inscription from the 15th century, translated as "Remember that you are mortal," "Remember you will die," or "Remember your death", with the purpose to remind people of their own mortality and to emphasize the vanity of earthly riches.  Surviving examples still exist in the Northeastern United States in the Colonial-era Puritan graveyards.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

A ceremony commemorating the deceased without the remains present

MONSTRANCE

a type of reliquary for holy relics which housed the items contained in jewlery, a rock crystal ,or glass capsule mounted on a rod, enabling the relic to be displayed to the faithful

MONUMENT

An upright memorial, including what used to be called a tombstone, also includes 
large structures like obelisks,  usually made from granite.

MORTICIAN

Any person who helps prepare the deceased for a funeral

RD Glossary by Run Digital