By the beginning of the second millennium the practice had begun of placing relics on the main level of the churches, a practice that diminished the use of crypts, but did not supplant them. An eighteenth century example is the crypt of [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral (Prague, Czech Republic)|Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral]] in Prague.

More recently, the term crypt is usually used in describing stone chambered burial vaults in which the deceased are placed. These are often found in cemeteries and under churches and cathedrals. Some wealthy or prestigious families, as well as royal families, often have a ‘family crypt’ or ‘vault’ in which the bodies of members of the family are stored. Above ground crypts have come into use, commonly called a ‘mausoleum’, for storing the remains of important people, such as the mausoleum for [[hierarch]]s of the [[Orthodox Church in America]] at the cemetery of [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon’s Monastery]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.