An interment facility including an above-ground building of generally rectangular parallelpiped configuration; a plurality of sealed vaults each containing a single corpse; and a skeleton vault support structure within the building including a plurality of laterally and fore and aft spaced columns, and a plurality of horizontal rails supported by the columns and coacting with the columns to suspend a large quantity of vaults within the interior volume of the building in a series of side-by-side vertical rows each including a plurality of tiers. The vaults are moved into and out of the individual interment spaces by sliding movement into the open end of the rows from a vestibule area within the building with flanges defined along the opposite longitudinal edges of the vaults engaging and sliding along the rails to allow movement of the vaults to their final designated space and to support the vault by its flanges in its final designated space.

An improved mausoleum includes a support frame made of fiberglass structural members and a plurality of sealed fiberglass caskets which are proof against deterioration. The mausoleum according to the invention eliminates the need for venting and drainage, greatly simplifies construction of the mausoleum, and reduces funeral expenses. In preferred embodiments, each of the fiberglass caskets has a pair of central lateral flanges, and the support structure includes a plurality of pairs of parallel rails made of fiberglass spaced apart so that the caskets can be inserted between the rails and supported thereon by the central lateral flanges of each casket.

A casket display structure has a floor-supported casket support adapted to support and display a casket. At least one standard is connected to and extends upwardly from the casket support. A decorative panel is hung on the standard. A rearward facing decorative panel may also be hung on the standard. In that case a second casket support may be positioned on an opposite side of the decorative panels from the first casket support. Two such casket display structures may be positioned perpendicularly to one another with the side edge of the second display structure abutting the rearward facing decorative panel of the first display structure. By utilizing three two-tiered casket racks in such an arrangement, a total of six caskets can be displayed.

To overcome problems concerning compact, inexpensive and long-term storage of entombment caskets in mausoleum crypts their is provided a extremely lightweight, yet durable enclosure for hermetically sealing caskets. The invention includes a foldable casket tray which receives a casket. A durable cover of wrapping material is placed over the casket and is attached and hermetically sealed to the tray. The cover is formed with a pressure relief valve for periodic self-ventilation of gases produced by decomposition of the casket and its contents enclosed within the hermetically sealed enclosure. When in folded condition, the tray serves as a compact shipping and storage container for the cover, a tray liner, and materials for attaching and hermetically sealing the cover to the tray. By virtue of the hermetic seal and extreme light weight of the enclosure, the enclosure is particularly adaptable for use in more compact, lightweight and inexpensive casket storage rack systems than are presently required for above ground mausoleum crypts.

An hermetically sealed module for a mausoleum is disclosed having a bottom member of predetermined dimensions, a cover member having dimensions which are complementary with respect to the bottom member, and a door member having predetermined dimensions which are complementary with respect to both the bottom and the cover members. The top member is laid upon the bottom member so as to provide a cavity for receiving a container having a decomposable corpse therein. The door member closes off the cavity. All mating surfaces between the bottom member, cover member and door member are sealed from inside and provide for an hermetically sealed module to be installed into a mausoleum. The mausoleum is provided with drain vents and air vents. The air vents in cooperation with fan devices provide a circulating system that not only purges the vaults of the decomposition gases of the body but also creates an evaporation process which assists in the removal of any decomposition fluids within the module. In one embodiment, a framework upon which the modules rest is provided. The framework serves to reduce the cost of mausoleum and the time required for construction. The mausoleum provides favorable aspects to meet environmental considerations.