What is a cenotaph?

A cenotaph is specifically defined as a monument that honors a person or group of people whose remains are not located within the monument itself; in other words, it serves as a memorial without an actual burial taking place underneath it. This distinction highlights its role in commemorating individuals whose bodies might be elsewhere due to various reasons such as being lost at sea, buried in another location, or not having an identified grave.

While grave markers serve a similar commemorative purpose, they typically indicate the location of a burial site where a body is interred. Memorial services and burial grounds also associate with the themes of remembrance and final resting places, but they do not capture the unique concept of a cenotaph, which is essentially a dedicated monument in absence of a physical body present.