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Until the first quarter of the 20th century, the practice continued in some places to bury stillborn babies or those who died without being baptized under the eaves of the house or in a plot next to it. It was also reported that the corpses of those children were buried on the homestead grounds.
In Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, the infant was buried around the house between its wall and the gutter line<sup> <ref>José Miguel de BARANDIARAN. ''Estelas funerarias del País Vasco''. San Sebastián: 1970, p. 39.</ref>.
According to the latest accounts gathered in some field surveys in the part of the Basque Country within France, it was the custom to bury stillborn children under the eaves of the roof of the house until the mid 20th century. That plot of land is known in the part within France as ''andereen baratzea''<ref>Michel DUVERT. “La Maison Basque, un espace sacré” in ''Etxea ou La Maison Basque. Saint Jean de Luz'': 1979, pp. 20-21.''</ref>.
== Internment next to the church ==
Burials around the church dates back to the earliest times and was prior to the internment inside it. The desire to ensure effective protections against the danger of the desecration of the grave or, better still, the desire to benefit beyond the grave with the intercession of the Saints, led to the practice of burying the dead next to the tomb of an illustrious martyr. In the 4th century, the ''ad sanctos''<ref>Mario RIGHETTI.''Historia de la Liturgia''. Volume l. Madrid: 1955, p. 972.</ref> burial was already common, even though it was reserved for the wealthy dead.
During the Early Middle Ages (7th and 8th centuries), there were very few people in the Iberian Peninsula who enjoyed the privilege to be buried within the churches. When that happened, it was due to the church being funded by the monarchy itself or by a famous family (patrons). During that time, the cemeteries were found around the churches, next to its walls.
