Requiescat in pace

Requiescat in pace - the Latin sentence means ‘May he (or she) rest in peace’ – is said of someone who has died: it expresses the wish that he (or she) may find (eternal) peace. The plural form Requiescant in pace (‘May they rest in peace’) is also found.

Requiescat is the third person singular – and requiescant the third person plural - of the present subjunctive of the verb requiescere, which, as an intransitive verb, means ‘to rest, find rest, repose’.

The word requiescat on its own is also sometimes used as a noun with the meaning ‘a wish or prayer for the repose of the souls of the dead’ – as in ‘On learning that his old enemy had died he put his work aside for a few moments and said a silent requiescat’. (Compare the analogous use of requiem.)

Requiescat in pace – sometimes abbreviated to its initials R.I.P. - is often found engraved on Christian tombstones: the earliest examples, dating from the fifth century, are on graves in the catacombs in Rome. However, Requiescat in pace is not found on the graves of the earliest Christians, who seem to have preferred as an inscription ‘Dormit in pace’ (‘He (or she) sleeps in peace’); since dormit is indicative, not subjunctive, the sentence makes a statement rather than expressing a wish.

Is Requiescat in pace a prayer for the dead? Christians do not agree on the answer to this question. Clearly any answer will depend both on the respondent’s beliefs about the nature of life after death and on their understanding of the concept of prayer.

See also Requiem.