A crypt is a large, stone chamber or vault used to store the deceased. Crypts are usually found in cemeteries and in religious buildings such as cathedrals but are also occasionally found on personal estates.

Wealthy or prestigious families will often have a "family crypt" in which all members of the family are stored. Many royal families for example, have vast crypts containing the bodies of dozens of former royals.

In some localities an above ground crypt is more commonly called a mausoleum, which also refers to any elaborate building intended as a burial place, for one or any number of people.