Chapelle Ardente
Encyclopedia
Chapelle Ardente is the chapel or room in which the corpse of a sovereign or other exalted personage lies in state pending the funeral
service. The name is in allusion to the many candles which are lighted round the catafalque
. This custom is first chronicled as occurring at the obsequies of Dagobert I
(602-638).
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
service. The name is in allusion to the many candles which are lighted round the catafalque
Catafalque
A catafalque is a raised bier, soapbox, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of the deceased during a funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalque may be used to stand in place of the body at the Absolution of...
. This custom is first chronicled as occurring at the obsequies of Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
(602-638).