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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §11.7.2.pr-11.7.2.9

Burials on Another's or Common Land and Religious Status

Passage 1805 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This fragment discusses the legal consequences of performing a burial on land belonging to another, held in common, subject to a usufruct or servitude, or pledged as security, and the conditions under which a place becomes 'religious'.

[IDEM libro uicensimo quinto ad edictum. ] §11.7.2.prLocum in quo seruus sepultus est religiosum esse Aristo ait.
[THE SAME in the twenty-fifth book on the Edict.] Aristo says that a place in which a slave has been buried becomes religious.
§11.7.2.1Qui mortuum in locum alienum intulit uel inferre curauit, tenebitur in factum actione.
He who has brought a corpse into another's place, or has caused it to be brought in, shall be liable to an action on the facts.
'in locum alterius' accipere debemus siue in agro siue in aedificio.
We must understand 'into the place of another' as referring either to a field or to a building.
sed hic sermo domino dat actionem, non bonae fidei possessori: nam cum dicat 'in locum alterius', apparet de domino eum sentire, id est eo cuius locus est.
But this expression gives the action to the owner, not to a bona fide possessor; for when it says 'into the place of another', it is apparent that he means the owner, that is, the person to whom the place belongs.
sed et fructuarius inferendo tenebitur domino proprietatis.
Moreover, a usufructuary also, by bringing in a corpse, will be liable to the owner of the property.
an et socius teneatur, si ignorante socio intulerit, tractari potest: est tamen uerius familiae erciscundae uel communi diuidundo conueniri eum posse.
Whether a co-owner is also liable if he brings it in without the knowledge of his co-owner can be discussed; however, it is more correct that he can be sued by the action for dividing an inheritance or for dividing common property.
§11.7.2.2Praetor ait: 'Siue homo mortuus ossaue hominis mortui in locum purum alterius aut in id sepulchrum, in quo ius non fuerit, illata esse dicentur. ' qui hoc fecit, in factum actione tenetur et poena pecuniaria subicietur.
The Praetor says: 'If a dead man or the bones of a dead man are said to have been brought into another's unoccupied place, or into that tomb in which there was no right to do so.' He who has done this is liable to an action on the facts and shall be subjected to a pecuniary penalty.
§11.7.2.3De ea autem illatione praetor sensit, quae sepulturae causa fit.
Now the Praetor meant that bringing in which is done for the purpose of burial.
§11.7.2.4Purus autem locus dicitur, qui neque sacer neque sanctus est neque religiosus, sed ab omnibus huiusmodi nominibus uacare uidetur.
Now a place is called 'pure' which is neither sacred nor holy nor religious, but seems to be free from all names of this kind.
§11.7.2.5Sepulchrum est, ubi corpus ossaue hominis condita sunt.
A tomb is where the body or bones of a human being have been deposited.
Celsus autem ait: non totus, qui sepulturae desti-natus est, locus religiosus fit, sed quatenus corpus humatum est.
But Celsus says: not the whole place which is destined for burial becomes religious, but only so far as the body is interred.
§11.7.2.6Monumentum est, quod memoriae seruandae gratia existat.
A monument is that which exists for the sake of preserving memory.
§11.7.2.7Si usum fructum quis habeat, religiosum locum non facit.
If anyone has a usufruct, he does not make the place religious.
sed et si alius proprietatem, alius usum fructum habuit, non faciet locum religiosum nec proprietarius, nisi forte ipsum qui usum fructum legauerit intulerit, cum in alium locum inferri tam oportune non posset: et ita Iulianus scribit.
But even if one person has the ownership and another the usufruct, the owner also will not make the place religious, unless by chance he has brought in the very person who bequeathed the usufruct, when a corpse could not be brought into another place so conveniently; and Julian writes to this effect.
alias autem inuito fructuario locus religiosus non fiet: sed si consentiat fructuarius, magis est ut locus religiosus fiat.
Otherwise, against the will of the usufructuary, a place will not become religious; but if the usufructuary consents, it is more correct that the place becomes religious.
§11.7.2.8Locum qui seruit nemo religiosum facit, nisi consentiat is cui seruitus debetur.
No one makes a place which is subject to a servitude religious, unless he to whom the servitude is owed consents.
sed si non minus commode per alium locum seruitute uti potest, non uidetur seruitutis impediendae causa id fieri, et ideo religiosus fit: et sane habet hoc rationem.
But if he can use the servitude through another place no less conveniently, it is not deemed to be done for the sake of impeding the servitude, and therefore it becomes religious; and this indeed is reasonable.
§11.7.2.9Is qui pignori dedit agrum si in eum suorum mortuum intulerit, religiosum eum facit: sed et si ipse inferatur, idem est: ceterum alii concedere non potest.
He who has pledged a field, if he brings into it a dead body of his own relatives, makes it religious; and the same applies if he himself is brought in; but he cannot grant this to another.

Notes

  1. §11.7.2.1familiae erciscundae uel communi diuidundo conueniri eum posse — An accusative with infinitive construction introduced by 'est tamen uerius' ('it is, however, more correct'). 'eum' is the subject accusative, and 'posse conueniri' ('that he can be sued') is the infinitive. 'familiae erciscundae' and 'communi diuidundo' are dative (or ablative) expressions referring to the actions for dividing an inheritance and dividing common property respectively, used with the passive verb 'conueniri' to denote the means of the suit.
  2. §11.7.2.7nisi forte ipsum qui usum fructum legauerit intulerit — The subject of 'intulerit' is the previously mentioned 'proprietarius' (owner), and its object is 'ipsum [mortuum] qui ... legauerit' (the deceased body of the very person who bequeathed the usufruct). Based on the origin of the usufruct (a bequest), an exception is made for the burial of the testator himself: even if done by the owner, it makes the place religious against the usufructuary's will, provided no other suitable place is available.
  3. §11.7.2.8Locum qui seruit — The verb 'seruit' ('serves', i.e., is subject to a servitude) is used intransitively, with the relative pronoun 'qui' in the nominative case. The antecedent 'Locum' is the object of the transitive verb 'religiosum facit' in the main clause. Therefore, syntactically it means 'No one makes a place which is subject to a servitude religious.'

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §11.7.2.pr-11.7.2.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:11.7.2.pr-11.7.2.9

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