A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. The name resurrection gate is also used.

Why do churches have a LYCH gate?

The lych gate marks the division between consecrated and unconsecrated ground, and was the place where the bearers sheltered with the coffin before a burial. The name derives from the Anglo Saxon word 'lich' - meaning corpse. Lych gates typically had seats, a cross and a stone slab on which the coffin rested.

Why is it called a Lychgate?

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. ... The idea of the lychgate started around the 7th Century although most examples date from around the 15th century – the plague century.