The word "columbarium" is derived from "columba," the Latin word for dovecote, a compartmented house where doves, the symbol of God's Spirit and Peace, come to roost. In modern usage, a columbarium is a consecrated structure created for the inurnment of the deceased's ashes, "cremains," after cremation. There is no more fitting place for the remains of a Christian than a columbarium within his or her church. Set within the peaceful surroundings of the church structure, it is also a place for quiet meditation and prayer.