Burial of the Saints

By Tatiana N.

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Early Christians who wanted to be buried near Saints give a whole new meaning to “riding on someone else’s coattails.” To these Early Christians, being buried close to a Saint was their way of preparing for Judgement Day just in case they themselves were not chosen to enter Heaven. Take Constantina, the daughter of the Emperor Constantine, who is said to be buried in a Mausoleum next to the tomb of Saint Agnes. In Constantina’s mind, when the Day Of Judgement arrives and she doesn’t get to enter Heaven, she can just grab onto Saint Agnes and ride with her to Heaven. I don’t know why, but I find that so interesting, and a little funny. For me, it shows that humans have always been so concerned with what happens in the next life, and will do whatever possible to make sure they get their desired outcome. Whether that idea will work or not, however, is a different story.