Cemetery

In Cemetery, a total of 9 epidemic events are known so far.

Place

Time

Language

Disease

Animal

Keyword

Person

Nature event

River

Plague

Scribe

Social response

Victims

Events

	Date	Summary		Source	Translation	T

1235 VN: thousands

Outbreak of an epidemic in connection with ergotism in Limoges with mass graves.

Sequitur tanta mortalitas quod tam igne sacro quam a pestilentia multa milia hominum moriuntur. Ego una die semel in cimiterio Sancti Geraldi Lemovicensis vidi centum pauperes sepeliri; frequentius autem xxx. et l.

A mortality followed so that many thousands of people died, both from the sacred fire [ergotism] and from the pestilence. On one day, I myself saw a hundred poor people buried in the cemetery of Saint Gerald of Limoges; more frequently, however, thirty and fifty. (Translation: Martin Bauch)

---

1235, May 17 – 1235, September 29 VN: thousands + 22 monks

Outbreak of an epidemic in Limoges after a year of dearth. Precise numbers for the mortality of monks and indicators of mass graves.

AM°.CC°.XXXV°. fuit tanta caritas blade quod ante messes anni sequentis vendebatur sextarium siliginis xvj. solidis et amplius; sextarium albi vini, si inveniri posset, iiij. Solidis; unum pomum, vj. Denariis, et plus et minus, secundum quod erat magnum; urinale, ix. denariis; gallina, xviij. Denariis; malum punicum, xj. solidis et plus; ij pruna, uno denario vel duobus. Et erat tanta in illo anno mortalitas et fuit in Lemovicensi diecesi et circa, quod vix inveniebatur qui ad foveam deferret. Audivi quod Capellanus et sacristia deferebant quandoque in cimiterio Sancti Geraldi, quotidie triginta, xl. velita sepeliebantur; et etiam legi ibi fuisse centum pauperes sepultos una die. Multa (p. 156) millia tunc temporis perierunt tam fame quam peste. In abbatia Sancti Martialis obierunt illo anno, a festo Ascensionis usque ad festum Sancti Michaelis, xx. Duo monachi, exceptis illis qui obidierunt in obedientia.

In the year of the Lord 1235, there was such a dearth of grain that before the harvests of the following year a sextarius of wheat was sold for sixteen solidi or more; a sextarius of white wine, if it could be found, for four solidi; an apple, for six denarii or more, according to its size; a urinal, for nine denarii; a hen, for eighteen denarii; a pomegranate, for eleven solidi or more; two prunes, for one or two denarii. And there was such mortality in that year, and it was in the diocese of Limoges and around, that scarcely anyone could be found to carry the dead to the ditch. I heard that the chaplain and the sacristan sometimes carried [the dead] into the cemetery of Saint Gerald, where thirty, forty, or even a hundred were buried daily; and also I read that there were buried there a hundred poor people in one day. Many thousands perished at that time from both hunger and disease. In the Abbey of Saint Martial, in that year, from the Feast of the Ascension until the Feast of Saint Michael, twenty-two monks died, apart from those who died in obedience (?). (Translation: Martin Bauch)

---

1313 – 1315

Severe plague and famine lasted three years after the death of King Henry VII. in 1313

Etiam pestilentia universalis erat adeo magna, quod multorum pauperum Corpora exanima, fame et pestilentia infecta, in stratis publicis inveniebantur, et a pluribus civitatibus magnae generales foveae in cimiterium consecratae parabantur, et pretia statuebantur, ut ipsa cadavera sepulturae traderentur. Istae plagae, heu! post mortem lamentabilem Henrici imperatoris in flagellum omnium nationum statim esse coeperunt, et plus quam per triennium miserabiliter duraverunt. […]

(Translation needed)

---

1316

High mortality and plague in Bohemia and all over the world

et secuta est postmodum maxima pestilencia et mortalitas hominum in omnibus partibus mundi, ita ut magne fierent ubique fovee ad sepelienda corpora mortuorum, quia cymiteria illa capere non valebant.

and in the following there was the greatest plague and mortality in all pars of the world so that everywhere large grave pits were dug to bury the bodies of the dead, for which the capacity of the graveyards was not large enough. (Translation: Christian Oertel)

---

1350, July 25 – 1351, February 2 VN: 12.000

Arrival of the Black Death in Erfurt and Thuringia, great mortality of 12.000 people. Victims are buried, according to doctors' advice, in mass graves outside the city. The epidemic last half a year.

Eodem anno (1350) pestilencia epydimialis in Thuringia exorta est et fere in tota Alamania et precipue in Erphordia, ita ut maxima pars hominum moreretur, quia morbus contagiosus erat. Porro consules cum consilio magistrorum phisicorum inhibuerunt, ut nemo amplius inibi sepeliri deberet; tanta erat multitudo sepulchrorum in cimiteriis ubique, ut duo vel tres ad unum sepulchrum ponerentur. Deinde facta sunt XI fossata magna in cimiterio ville Nuzezse prope Erphordiam, ad que deducta sunt circa XII milia corpora hominum in bigis et in curribus oneratis; de festo sancti Iacobi usque ad purificacionem virginis gloriose cottidie tres bige vel quatuor corpora mortuorum in cimiteriis et in viis circumquaque sustulerunt. Exceptis his multi alii sepulti sunt in civitate occulte et in villis ubique circumiacentibus, quorum anime cum electis Dei requiesant in pace! Amen. Unde dixit quidam: Mille trecentenis decies quinis simul annis / Hic hominum necifex locat aer milia bis sex. / Hir zwenzig hunder liche lin / Unde hunderwert hundert, / Dy sint vorscheiden al in dem sterben leydir.

In the same year (1350), an epidemic plague arose in Thuringia and nearly throughout all of Germany, especially in Erfurt, to the extent that a great majority of the people perished, as the disease was contagious. Furthermore, the city authorities, in consultation with the council of physicians, forbade any further burials there; such was the multitude of graves everywhere that two or three bodies were placed in a single grave. Subsequently, eleven large pits were dug in the cemetery of the village of Neuses, near Erfurt, into which around twelve thousand bodies of people were brought in wagons and loaded carts. From the feast of Saint James until the purification of the glorious Virgin, daily three or four wagons carried the bodies of the deceased to cemeteries and streets everywhere. Besides these, many others were secretly buried in the city and in the surrounding villages, may their souls rest in peace with the chosen ones of God! Amen. As someone said: "In the year thirteen hundred fifty, / the human-slaying air / killed two times sixthousand. / Here lie twenty times a hundred corpses / and a hundred times a hundred / who have all sadly passed away in death". (Translation: Martin Bauch)

---

1350, July 25 – 1351, February 2 VN: 12.000

Arrival of the Black Death in Erfurt and Thuringia, great mortality of 12.000 people. Victims are buried, according to doctors' advice, in mass graves outside the city. The epidemic last half a year.

Anno eodem pestilencia grandis epidimialis in Thurinigia exorta est et fere in tota Alamania et precipue in Erfordia, adeo ut decima pars amplius hominum morerentur, quia morbus contagiosus erat. Porro cives cum consilio phisicorum inhibuerunt, ut nemo amplius inibi sepeliri deberet. Tanta erat multitudo sepulchrorum in cimiteriis ubique, ut duo vel tres ad unum sepulchrum ponerentur. Deinde facta sunt XI fossata in cimiterio ville Nusessen prope Erfordiam, ad que deducta sunt XII milia corpora hominum in bigis et curribus, qui continue de festo sancti Iacobi usque ad purificacionem numero III vel IIII vehebantur. Excepits hiis multi alii sepulti sunt in civitate occulte et in villis ubique circumiacentibus.

In the same year, a great epidemic pestilence broke out in Thuringia and nearly throughout all of Germany, especially in Erfurt, to the extent that more than a tenth of the population perished, as the disease was contagious. Furthermore, the citizens, in consultation with the physicians, forbade any further burials there. Such was the multitude of graves everywhere that two or three bodies were placed in a single grave. Subsequently, eleven pits were dug in the cemetery of the town of Neuses near Erfurt, into which around twelve thousand bodies of people were brought in wagons and carts. These were continuously transported, three or four at a time, from the feast of Saint James until Candlemas. Besides these, many others were secretly buried in the city and in the surrounding villages. (Translation: Martin Bauch)

---

1466, August – 1466, November VN: 40.000

Mortality in Paris and all of Île-de-France from August to November, due to plague. The death toll is estimated to 40,000 persons in the region of Paris. This number is surely overrated by the chronicler, though the mortality has been important. It is said that the number of burials exceeded the capacities of cimeteries in Paris. Numerous religious processions have been organized during the outbreak.

En ladite année, es mois d'aoust et septembre, fut grande et merveilleuse chaleur, au moyen de laquelle s'en ensuivit grande mortalité de pestilence, et autres maladies, dont et de quoy il mourut tant en la ville, villages voisins, prévosté et vicomté de Paris, quarante mille créatures et mieux, entre lesquels y mourut maistre Arnoul, astrologien du roy, qui estoit fort homme de bien, sage et plaisant; aussi y mourut plusieurs médecins et offociers du roy en ladite ville de Paris. Et si grand nombre de créatures furent portées ensevelir et enterrer au cimetière des Saints-Innocents, en ladite ville de Paris, que tant des morts en ladite ville que de l'Hôtel-Dieu tout y fust remply: et fut ordonné que de là en avant on porteroit les mortsau cimetière de la Trinité, qui est et appartient à l'hostel de la ville de Paris. Et continua ladite mort jusques en la fin de novembre, que, pour faire cesser, et prier Dieu que ainsi il lui plut de la faire, furent faites de moult belles processions générales à Paris par toutes les paroisses et églises d'icelle, où furent portées toutes les chasses et saintes reliques, et mesmement les chasses de Nostre-Dame, de sainte Geneviève et saint Marcel; et mors cessa un peu ladite mort.

In the said year (1466), in the months of August and September, there was great and marvellous heat, which resulted in great mortality from pestilence and other diseases, from which and as a result of which forty thousand or more creatures died in the city, neighbouring villages, provostry and viscounty of Paris, including Maistre Arnoul, the king's astrologer, who was a very good man, wise and pleasant; several doctors and the king's offenders also died in the said city of Paris. And so many creatures were brought to be buried in the cemetery of the Saints-Innocents, in the said city of Paris, that both the dead of the said city and of the Hôtel-Dieu were all remply there: and it was ordered that from there forward the dead should be brought to the cemetery of the Trinité, which is and belongs to the hostel of the city of Paris. And the said death continued until the end of November, when, in order to put an end to it, and to pray to God that it would please him to do so, many beautiful general processions were held in Paris by all the parishes and churches of the city, where all the dead and holy relics were carried, including the dead of Notre-Dame, Saint Geneviève and Saint Marcel; and the said death ceased a little. (Translation: DeepL)

---

1496, December 14

A friar dies in Görlitz during an outbreak of plague

1496 tempore pestis obiit fr. Jeronimus molitoris sacerdos. Eodem die obiit fidelis famulus monasterii qui ambo sepulti sunt in uno sepulcro in cimiterio fratrum et nomen dicti famuli fuit paulus tagelöner. Requiescant ambo in pace Jhesu cristi Amen.

In the year 1496, during the time of the plague, Brother Hieronymus Müller, a priest, died. On the same day, the faithful servant of the monastery also died, and both were buried in a single grave in the cemetery of the brothers. The name of the said servant was Paulus Tagelöner. May both rest in peace. Amen. (Translation: Martin Bauch)

---

References

This is an EpiMedDat page, and outside EpiMedDat it is a mirrored or cloned page or similar. Please note that the page may then be outdated (13.07.2025) and no longer relate to the content. The original page is or was located at http://epimeddat.net/wiki/Cemetery