A catafalque and a funeral bier are both used to hold a coffin or casket in place during a funeral service or memorial service. So some people use the two words interchangeably. But the word catafalque is more commonly used to describe the platform that’s used at a state funeral service or the funeral of someone of national importance. It tends to be decorated more elaborately than a funeral bier. And a bier is more commonly used to describe the structure used at typical funerals. It tends to be more functional than decorative.