GRAVEYARD

VIRTUAL GRAVEYARD

The following regulations were revised and put into effect in September, 2008. Please disregard regulations bearing a date prior to the above, and note that these rules are subject to change without notice. Although any non-conforming graves installed previous to these regulations will not be made to change, all new plot owners will be expected to adhere to the current regulations. Please make sure your monument company has a copy of these rules.

Intent

The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that the cemetery stay tidy and well ordered as it grows over time. These regulations will also help to keep maintenance-related time and labor to a minimum. This means a better-kept and more attractive cemetery for both you and future plot owners (or families). 

Compliance

Owners must ask for and receive written permission from the appropriate monastery authorities if they wish to do anything not in compliance with the cemetery regulations. Any reasonable request will be considered. 

The monastery reserves the right to enforce the cemetery regulations by refusing anything introduced into the cemetery grounds deemed to be a violation of the regulations. Clarification should be sought from the abbot or other monastery authority regarding any and all regulations. 

Usage

Holy Resurrection Cemetery is a pan-Orthodox Christian cemetery and was established and consecrated in 1980 specifically to accommodate the needs of Orthodox Christians. Burials of immediate family members of Orthodox Christians who are not Orthodox are usually permitted upon request. No non-Orthodox or heterodox services or any ecclesiastical function by non-Orthodox clergy may be held in the cemetery without the permission of the Abbot. The Orthodox “burial for non-Orthodox” service is permissible. 

Burial Plots

A limit of one body per plot shall be observed. Only professional grave diggers employed by a licensed funeral home may execute the opening of a grave. The standard adult-size burial plot shall be 4 feet by 10 feet allowing for a grave of 3 feet by 8 feet. Either the funeral company of the monastery or of the buyer should be informed if the grave is to be of a special size, such as extra wide, etc., so that the gravediggers may be notified. Burial plots will be sold at the current cost as priced, or as otherwise agreed upon. A 12 (twelve) foot set-back from the monastery/cemetery property-line abutting our neighbor is to be observed. No portion of any grave may be within this set-back. 

Grave Liners

Grave liners of metal or concrete are required for all graves. Plastic grave liners are not permitted and will be refused.

Markers and Monuments

All proposed monument designs and descriptions must be submitted to the monastery authority for approval before installation. All markers, monuments and the like shall be professionally manufactured of either solid granite or solid marble material. Permanent metal upright markers are not permitted. Flat (flush) bronze markers are allowed. Wooden crosses are also permitted as a temporary measure, with the understanding that they will eventually need to be replaced with a granite or marble marker as wood will not hold up many years due to the local climate and will lead to an unmarked grave in the future. Concrete may only be used in the setting of stones, not the manufacture of markers or flower bed borders. Mausoleums and above-ground crypts are not permitted. The base of a single-wide marker must not exceed 46”. Flat “foot markers” are also permitted in addition to the upright marker as long as they are flush with the ground.

As this is a Christian cemetery, graves (grave markers) are expected to be adorned in some way with a cross, either by way of a monument in the shape of a cross or a marker with a cross, even if minimal, engraved upon it. The reason for this is so that the monument may be blessed using the prescribed “Blessing of a Cross” service that refers specifically to the cross on a grave and not so much the monument itself.

No monument may depict anything of disrespectful, heretical, or blasphemous content. Markers bearing Masonic symbols or any other imagery inconsistent with the beliefs of the Orthodox Church will likewise be refused. 

Adornment of Graves

Notice: effective March 2008, sills or coping fully bordering graves is no longer permitted! This is necessary for insurance purposes and in order to provide better access for grave diggers and their equipment and to accommodate other maintenance concerns, as well as the overall tidy look of the cemetery as it grows over time. Please forgive the inconvenience. Small flower beds are permitted however, but for the same reasons as cited above, planted flowers may not extend more than 24” out from the front of the base of the monument or marker and may not exceed a width of 46” for a single width plot.  The flower bed may have a border or coping of granite, marble, or other quality manufactured border material as long as the outer dimensions of the bordering do not exceed the measurements above. Likewise, all other items such as figurines, plant holders, pictures, toys, etc., should be kept either in this space or on the monument’s base or top. The planting of trees and/or shrubs is prohibited except by the monastery authority and those it hires to do so.

Liabilities

The monastery is not responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing monuments damaged as a result of weather or other natural causes or as a result of poor craftsmanship in manufacture and/or setting, or as a result of vandalism or of some other accidental damage by anyone outside the monastic community. The use of a monument company that is licensed and insured is recommended. The monastery may take full or partial responsibility for markers damaged in the course of grounds maintenance assuming it was performed by monastery personnel or by those expressly hired by the monastery. No one outside the monastic community may mow or otherwise maintain the cemetery grounds without specific permission to do so. Weather and equipment permitting, the monastery will accept the responsibility of keeping the cemetery grounds regularly mowed and trimmed. 

The monastery is not responsible for the loss or damage of any items placed on or around the graves, such as flowerpots, figurines, toys, etc. *Cemetery Hours: 7:00am-10:00pm*

VIRTUAL GRAVEYARD planing 

Prior to the sale of grave spaces in any undeveloped areas of a licensed cemetery, the cemetery company shall prepare a map documenting the establishment of recoverable internal survey reference markers installed by the cemetery company no more than 100 feet apart in the areas planned for development. The internal reference markers shall be established with reference to survey markers that are no more than 200 feet apart which have been set by a surveyor and mapper licensed under chapter 472 and documented in a certified land survey. Both the map and the certified land survey shall be maintained by the cemetery company and shall be made available upon request to the department or members of the public.

   (b) The map of the area proposed to be developed shall show:

   1. The number of grave spaces available for sale.

   2. The location of each grave space.

   3. The number designation assigned to each grave space.

   4. The dimensions of a standard adult grave space.

   (3) Adult grave spaces established prior to October 1, 2013, are not required to meet the standards established under this section for the dimensions or separation of grave spaces.

Standards for grave spaces 

A standard adult grave space shall measure at least 42 inches in width and 96 inches in length, except for preinstalled vaults in designated areas. For interments, except cremated remains, the covering soil shall measure no less than 12 inches from the top of the outer burial container at time of interment, unless such level of soil is not physically possible. In any interment, the family or next of kin may waive the 12-inch coverage minimum.

VIRTUAL GRAVEYARD GRANITE INFO

There are three basic kinds of rocks on earth.

1. Igneous – This rock was first a molten substance. Granite is an igneous rock.
2. Sedimentary – This rock was formed from the undersea sediment of shells, bones and other such matter. Limestone is a sedimentary rock.
3. Metamorphic – The name of this rock implies a change of form after creation. Intense pressure and heat over millions of years transforms sedimentary rock into metamorphic rocks like marble.

Granite is made up of 3 major elements.

1. Feldspar, the main ingredient
2. Quartz, the hardest ingredient
3. Biotite or mica

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Density and Durability of Granite

According to the Measures of Hardness Scale (MOHS), diamonds are rated at 10 and are the hardest materials on earth. Quartz is approximately 7 and natural granite is somewhere between 6 and 7 on the scale. Man-made granite is around 5 and various marbles test about 3. Hard plastic is close to 2. Most people equate marble to granite but as you can see granite is considerably harder than marble.

Another durability factor to consider is density. A cubic foot (12” x 12” x 12”) of granite weighs from 185 lbs to 220 lbs depending on its constituents while a cubic foot of marble will weigh about 170 lbs. Granite molecules may be heavier and are packed more tightly together than marble molecules. Because of its hardness and density granite is much harder to cut, polish and carve than marble.

Why Are There So Many Marble Monuments?

Many older cemeteries from the 1850’s through the 1940’s are filled with monuments made of marble because it was less expensive to cut, polish and carve with the tools of that time. Unfortunately, this is why many of those old marble memorials are nearly unreadable today—while granite memorials from the same time, are easily read and show almost no deterioration.

Certain conditions (salt, hydrocarbon and sulfur dioxide pollution) contribute to the decomposition of the calcite structure of marble and allow it to be eroded rather rapidly. Some marbles are more durable than others. Also, dry, rural areas (without major automobile and industrial pollution) are less damaging to marble.

Marble was used almost exclusively before the 1920’s. Then, gradually, better tools and techniques—wire saws, sandblast carving, carbide and diamond tools—allowed more efficient quarrying, cutting, polishing and carving of the harder granite. Today granite has proven the most durable and is the preferred choice of most customers for cemetery headstones.

Headstones and Memorial Design Gallery

Choosing a headstone design begins with telling a story. We can help you choose the headstone type, color, size, and shape that will most accurately tell the story of your loved one for generations to come. Click to view a list of our headstone granite colors.

We offer a free, no obligation consultation with our designer and provide a color rendering of your proposed memorial at no charge. inbox or email us. We also have some information about pricing and what goes into getting a quote.