Legal regulation of the funeral process in Russia during the 18th–19th centuries epidemics

The fundamental foundations of human culture should include funeral and memorial rites, which reflect the life cycle of an ethnic group. In emergency situations, there are changes in the habitual image of people and the concentration of public attention on the ritual sphere. Epidemics that differ in the scale of mortality can be considered to be such situations. The article examines the influence of epidemics on the funeral process in Russia on the basis of the analysis of the 18th–19th centuries normative legal acts. According to the author, at the first stages of the development of epidemic diseases, people tried to adhere to the traditional rules of burial of the deceased. However, with the increase in the number of deceased, the state imposed restrictions that also applied to the funeral process. The paper considers the stages of the funeral process and its features during the 18th–19th centuries epidemics – simplification of the preparation and transportation of the body to the burial site, changing the term, time and place of burial, formal performance of ritual practices. Special attention is paid to the reaction of the population to the prohibitions imposed by the authorities. The article formulates the main conclusion that after large-scale epidemics, there had been a transformation of the funeral process, which the 18th–19th centuries Russian legislation reflected.