: a roofed gate in a churchyard under which a bier rests during the initial part of the burial service.

Why is it called a LYCH gate?

The term lych comes from Old English for corpse, and the corpse-gate was the route that the dead would take when being taken for burial in the churchyard. ... A small plaque on one side marks the restoration, and one the other, if anyone glances up, a notice about the heritage of the gate.

What is a LYCH gate at a church?

lych-gate, also spelled lich-gate, also called corpse gate, (from Middle English lyche, “body”; yate, “gate”) roofed-in gateway to a churchyard in which a bier might stand while the introductory part of the burial service was read.