Abstract
Reactivation of cremation as a means of disposal of the corpse, from late eighteenth century and translated into reality by the second half of the nineteenth century was a major event involving multiple stakes and meanings. Based mainly arguments pertaining to public hygiene but also economic, aesthetic or even anchored in the principle of freedom of conscience and free will, modern cremationists (first time members of the elite) had sought to impose a new model , so getting through their choice in conflict with a number of supporting structures of the classic pattern of burial. The present paper aims to analyze how the attitude towards cremation of Romanian Elites was during 19th-21st century. Their attitudes to cremation reveal some particularities of the Romanian society in the past and today. It also will highlight some particularities of cremations development in Romania compared with the Western patterns.

Keywords
cremation, elites, Romanian Orthodox Church, attitudes.