Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Her pinkness saves · 02-16-2007, 06:57 AM

is there any documented significance to burials on the north side of a church in medieval times? [generally and specifically in regards to leprosy, but any generic "sin disease" should do].

Toto · 02-16-2007, 12:36 PM

Google turns this up: hierarchy of sacred space and zoning

Quote:

...the south side of the burial ground as a favoured location; an example is the churchyard at Godmanchester where burials of nonconformists were reserved for the north side of the churchyard.

North Berwick

Quote:

The unearthed graves, sited on the eastern portion of the old graveyard date from medieval times. It was not until the 17th century that the church authorities insisted that all future burials should be on the north side, as internments on the east and south were exposed to storm damage and ground erosion. The last burial at the Auld Kirk was between 1649 -1656 when the church fell into ruin.

ETA: North Side of a Church

Her pinkness saves · 02-16-2007, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

[snip]

thank you very much

can't thank you enough. ^^

Toto · 02-16-2007, 09:13 PM

So what was this all about?

Her pinkness saves · 02-16-2007, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

So what was this all about?

to be completely honest, I'm not entirely clear on the details myself. :P a friend asked for help on an individual project for his degree, and this was the topic. I figured, I'd help him narrow down his initial research.

-_- the more i research the more I'm being proven wrong. My initial response to the project was that leprosy, being a "sin disease" would be separated from the general burial areas simply because there was so much stigma attached to the disease, and that the northern burials he had found was just an interesting coincidence.

and since this forum has the most confusing/complicated words out of all the ones i visit, i figured this would be the place to ask. ^^

02-16-2007, 06:57 AM	#1
Her pinkness saves Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: canada Posts: 852	church burials. is there any documented significance to burials on the north side of a church in medieval times? [generally and specifically in regards to leprosy, but any generic "sin disease" should do].

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02-16-2007, 09:13 PM	#4
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	So what was this all about?

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