Graveyard vs Cemetery: What’s the Difference in Louisiana?

Lafayette, Louisiana (KPEL-FM) - When you hear the words graveyard and cemetery, you might think they mean the same thing.

In everyday conversation, people use the words interchangeably, but there’s actually a real difference between the two.

So, what is the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery?

What Is a Graveyard?

Of the two terms graveyard and cemetery, graveyard is the oldest.

Historically, graveyards are burial grounds located next to a church. In early Europe and colonial America, churchyards served as the primary resting place for community and church members.

From returnhome.com -

The wealthy and influential Middle Ages Christians were typically laid to rest inside a church, sometimes in a crypt beneath the floor, after they died.

 

The graveyard was a portion of the churchyard used to bury less privileged congregation members.

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Because space was limited, graveyards were often small and crowded, with older headstones placed close together.

Many Louisiana towns and rural parishes still have historic church graveyards, where you can see markers dating back hundreds of years.

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What Is a Cemetery?

A cemetery is a stand-alone burial ground, separate from a church.

These became more common in the 18th and 19th centuries, when cities grew larger and local church graveyards filled up.

Cemeteries are designed to be more organized and spacious, often featuring landscaping, walkways, and family plots.

They became places not just for burials, but also for reflection, history, and community remembrance.

From returnhome.com -

You are not required to be a member of a particular church to be laid to rest in a cemetery because most are not affiliated with any particular church.

 

They’ve usually been put in a more rural area, far from the town center, to make room for them.

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Louisiana’s Unique Burial Traditions

In Louisiana, as with most things, the difference between graveyards and cemeteries takes on a special twist.

In many places in South Louisiana, notably New Orleans, we have our famous above-ground tombs in cities and towns close to The Gulf that are below sea-level.

Because of this, Louisiana is home to some of the most iconic cemeteries in the United States.

In Louisiana, where every Parish has a story to tell, our burial grounds are as much about the living as they are about the dead.

Read more about the differences between a graveyard and cemetery at returnhome.com.