Glossary
What is columbarium?
A columbarium is a structure or wall containing niches that hold urns of cremated remains. It is often located in a cemetery, mausoleum, or place of worship, and provides a permanent, visitable place for ashes.
Each compartment in a columbarium is called a niche, and a niche may hold one or more urns. Fronts are commonly granite, marble, glass, or bronze and can be engraved with names and dates. A columbarium may stand outdoors as a garden wall, occupy a room inside a mausoleum, or be built into a church, synagogue, or memorial garden.
As cremation has become the most common choice in the United States, columbaria have grown more widely available. A niche is a frequent choice for families who want cremation but still want a fixed, visitable place to gather and remember, rather than scattering the remains or keeping the urn at home.
Costs vary by cemetery and by the niche's size and position — eye-level and glass-front niches typically cost more than those near the floor or ceiling. The price you are quoted may or may not include the urn, the engraving, and the fee to open, place, and seal the niche, so ask for an itemized breakdown before buying.
Related terms
Niche
A niche is a compartment in a columbarium or niche wall that holds an urn of cremated remains. Families buy the right to place an urn in a specific niche, which provides a permanent, visitable resting place without an in-ground grave.
Urn
An urn is a container that holds cremated remains. Urns come in many materials, sizes, and styles — from simple boxes to decorative vessels and biodegradable options — and may be kept at home, buried, or placed in a columbarium niche.
Cremains
Cremains is a common term for cremated remains — the bone fragments left after cremation, processed into a coarse, sandy material. They are returned to the family and can be kept in an urn, buried, scattered, or placed in a niche.
Inurnment
Inurnment is the placing of cremated remains into an urn, or the placing of an urn into its final resting place such as a columbarium niche or a grave. It is the cremation counterpart to the burial term interment.
See also
Common questions about Columbarium
Sources
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This definition is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. See our editorial standards.