Crypt << krihpt >> is an underground room or vault. It usually refers to a vault under a church. The word comes from the Greek word kryptein, meaning to hide. Saints and martyrs (people who sacrifice themselves for their beliefs) often were buried in crypts. Chapels and altars sometimes were built over the spot where their bones were supposed to lie. One famous crypt is that of Saint Helena in Jerusalem, Israel. According to legend, Helena found there the cross on which Jesus Christ died. Other famous crypts include those of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome; of Saint Nicholas at Bari, Italy; of Canterbury Cathedral, in England; and of Glasgow Cathedral, in Scotland.
