Castrum doloris

The castrum doloris (Latin for castle of grief) was a structure and set of decorations which sheltered and accompanied the catafalque or bier in a funeral.

It signified the prestige and power of the deceased, and was common in Poland-Lithuania and other parts of Europe.

Sometimes it would be supplemented by candles, coats of arms, epitaphs and allegorical pictures, in which case it was also called a chapelle ardente.

Sigismund II Augustus was one of the first Polish rulers to have a castrum doloris in the 1570s.

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