Catafalque

CATAFALQUE: A structure erected to represent a corpse lying in state, decorated with emblems of mourning (also called tumba, castrum doloris). The custom of erecting such structures arose in the Catholic Church when the corpse of the deceased was no longer brought into the church, where, according to the Roman rite, the office of the dead, the requiem-mass, and the Libera were to be sung, before the interment. The object of the catafalque was to keep the older custom in mind, and to add greater solemnity to the service. The bier is covered with black hangings, and surrounded with lights. The officiating priest sprinkles it with holy water, as a symbol of the purifying blood of Christ and the water of eternal life, and then censes it as a token of honor to the body of the deceased, which has been the temple of the Holy Ghost, and as a symbol of the prayers for the departed soul which are to go up as a sweet savor before the Lord.