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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 (7<sup>th</sup> 7th and 8<sup>th</sup> 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.
A transition progressively occurred in the customs that ended up with the burials being moved from the outside to the inside of the churches: “Over time, the ruling classes then demanded the same right for themselves and soon the same favour was granted to the bishops and priests and even to the simple faithful. The documents of different Councils confirmed that until the 12th century, burial in the churches was only reserved for bishops, abbots, ''dignis presbyteris, laicis fidelibus omnino pietate commendabilibus''. From the pontificate of Gregory IX (1227-1241), greater freedom was given to bury, without distinction, laypersons in the church”<ref>Eugeniusz FRANKOWSKI. ''Estelas discoideas de la Península Ibérica. ''Madrid: 1989, p. 223.</ref>.