ISLAND OF THE DEAD

Venice, a picturesque Italian wonder attracts tourists and movie producers from all corners of the world, although the noise, crowds and mayhem can be distracting in equal measure. We fell in love with San Michele, an island in the Venetian Lagoon of northern Italy, which is associated with the sestiere of Cannaregio that lies just a short distance northeast.
In 1807, Gian Antonio Selva designed a cemetery on San Cristoforo, when under French occupation it was decreed that burial on the mainland (or on the main Venetian islands) was unsanitary. The canal that separated the two islands was filled in during 1836, and the larger island became known as San Michele. Bodies were subsequently carried to the island on special funeral gondolas.
Among those buried on the island are Igor Stravinsky, Joseph Brodsky, Jean Schlumberger, Christian Doppler, Frederick Rolfe, Horatio Brown, Sergei Diaghilev, Ezra Pound, Luigi Nono, Catherine Bagration, Franco Basaglia, Paolo Cadorin, Zoran Mušič, Helenio Herrera, Emilio Vedova and Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán.
Among those buried on the island are Igor Stravinsky, Joseph Brodsky, Jean Schlumberger, Christian Doppler, Frederick Rolfe, Horatio Brown, Sergei Diaghilev, Ezra Pound, Luigi Nono, Catherine Bagration, Franco Basaglia, Paolo Cadorin, Zoran Mušič, Helenio Herrera, Emilio Vedova and Salvador de Iturbide y Marzán.
In 2007, DAVID CHIPPERFIELD was commissioned to supplement the island with several modern extensions, including the already completed Courtyard of the Four Evangelists with its concrete colonnade and basalt-clad walls engraved with Gospel quotes.
Architecture devotees sail by to see the Renaissance Chiesa di San Michele in Isola (open on weekday mornings) first initiated by Codussi in 1469, as well as the ongoing cemetery extension by David Chipperfield Architects.
Do you have your burial already planned out?


Burial Methods
Ground burial is a common technique of burying deceased individuals. Bodies are typically placed into a casket and buried deep into the ground in sanctioned cemeteries. Tombstones are then placed above ground to mark the location of the body and allow people to pay their respects to the deceased. Cremation is an alternative burial practice chosen by many for personal, religious or cultural reasons. Cremation is the process of disposing of remains by using intense heat to vaporize and oxidize a dead body. Ashes can then be given to relatives to disperse as they wish. Mummification is typically referenced to burials of pharaohs in ancient Egypt. Today, this continues to be a burial custom using modern applications. Modern-day mummies are created by submerging bodies in a tank of liquid that allows for them to remain intact and preserved over time.
Tree burial practices have been found in places such as the Philippines. This unusual burial is achieved by placing bodies high in a tree or entombed in tree trunks. Bodies can also be concealed in a coffin or blanket tied into the branches of a tree. Tree burial is a creative ritual of protecting the dead by keeping them away from animals.

Cryonics is utilized when an individual may not necessarily be dead, such as people who are diagnosed brain dead. The body undergoes cryopreservation and is frozen. This preservation technique is used in the hope that the body can be revived at a later time when improved technologies are able to recover the individual. Cannibalism, or the consumption of a dead body, is frowned upon in most cultures and only considered an option in extreme conditions. However, some cultures believe that cannibalism is a way for a deceased individual’s abilities to be transferred to the living.
Resomation is an eco-friendly burial system that decomposes a body using an alkali and water-based solution under high pressure. This liquifies the body and breaks it down to bone ash. The liquid can be ecologically recycled by pouring it into a garden or nature, while bone ash is collected and placed into an urn. Another way to dispose of a deceased body is to launch the remains into space using a rocket. This may seem a little out of this world, but famous astronomers and even the creator of Star Trek have selected this form of burial.



Dissolution is one option of chemically breaking down a dead body and involves dissolving a body with a strong solvent. Mass burials are used when large numbers of people have died and there is a need to quickly bury the dead. This burial system was common during historical events such as deadly wars and epidemics.
Plastination is the process of transforming a deceased body into plastic by replacing the water and fat with silicon. Once plasticized, the body can be displayed as a teaching tool in medical schools or in exhibits. Memorial diamonds are made by pressurizing the ashes or hair of the deceased into a diamond. These gems can be made into jewelry and serve as a keepsake of a loved one.
Promession is an environmentally-friendly method used to dispose of a dead body by turning it into fertilizer. The body is frozen using liquid nitrogen and shattered into an organic powder. The powder remains are then buried into the top layer of soil, which eventually decomposes into compost. Hanging coffins on the side of a cliff is another fascinating burial technique of the ancient world. How ancient people were able to situate these coffins along steep cliff walls continues to be a mystery that puzzles our modern-day world.
