Increasingly popular with the French, cremation now represents nearly 40% of funerals and is therefore strictly regulated by law.

While it has been forbidden to keep a cinerary urn at home since 2008, families have the choice between storing it in a specific space or spreading its contents, while respecting certain restrictions.

We take stock of the legislation in force and the various options available to you.

A garden dedicated to remembrance

Mandatory in municipalities with more than 2000 inhabitants, the garden of remembrance is a collective landscaped space, generally adjacent to the cemetery, in which the relatives of the deceased can come to spread his ashes.

Consisting of a basin or sump and decorated with pebbles, it also has a stele, a column or a book of remembrance mentioning the identity of the deceased (surname, first name, date of birth and death).

Families can come and gather all year round and bring symbolic personalization elements.

In the middle of nature, under conditions

Whether it is your wish or that of the deceased, know that it is possible to spread his ashes in the wilderness. However, not all locations are allowed.

Thus, undeveloped public natural spaces accessible to all, such as forests, fields, high mountains but also the open sea are possible, provided that a declaration is subsequently made to the town hall of the commune of the place of birth of the deceased mentioning the place of the ceremony.

If you wish to scatter the ashes in a large area accessible to the public but belonging to a private person, as is the case of some meadows and forests, you will first have to obtain permission from the prefecture as well as the owner of the premises.

In public forests, you will also have the opportunity to place the urn at the foot of a memory tree that you can take care of, or to plant yourself a tree that will remind you of the deceased.

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The only exception is that watercourses (rivers, rivers) are prohibited. For lakes, whose status may vary from one locality to another, check with the town hall of the shore or anchorage from where the boat leaves.

Dispersal in a public place

Be aware that it is strictly forbidden to spread ashes in a public place, such as a park, fountain, beach or public garden – let alone on public roads. Private gardens are also excluded.

Place the urn in a cinerary space

If you do not want to scatter the ashes of your deceased loved one and prefer to store them in a place where you can come to pay your respects, two options are possible.

You can thus have the urn buried in a vault or a grave, as for the classic burial of a coffin, by opting for a family vault or for a burial specific to urns (cinerary tomb, cavurn).

Alternatively, you can deposit the ashes in a columbarium, a stone monument made up of dozens of niches intended to accommodate urns and with plaques identifying the loved one.

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