CATAFALQUE. — For funeral offices a special structure, surrounded by candles, is erected in churches; it is called *tumulus*, *castrum doloris*, *lectica mortuorum*, and serves to support the coffin containing the remains of the deceased for whom the office is celebrated or to suggest their presence.
When the remains are absent, the bier may consist of a simple black cloth spread on the floor of the sanctuary for the absolution. The bodies of the faithful are arranged on the catafalque with their feet toward the altar, while those of priests are placed in the opposite direction. On the cloth covering the coffin or at the foot of the catafalque, the insignia of the civil or ecclesiastical dignity of the deceased may be placed. For clerics, the following insignia are permitted: the stole, the chalice, the biretta, and the mitre. To cover the catafalque of innocent children, a white cloth and a wreath of flowers are used; such a wreath may also be placed to honor virginity.