Ossuary Chapel - Bone Church, Sedlec, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

Ted Szukalski

I hope this classifies as "people".


Ossuary Chapel. Bigger image here: http://www.digital-photo.com.au/v/Landscapes/Europe/Czech+Republic/Sedlec+Ossuary/Czech-Republic-Kutna+Hora-Sedlec-Ossuary-Chapel-Bone-Church101_9138-Web.jpg.html

Church of Bones (Ossuary) is located in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora in Czech Republic. The church built around 1400 has two levels. Top one is a normal chapel. The famous Church of Bones is located in the lower level All Saints’ Chapel.

The chapel is still surrounded by a functioning graveyard. The Ossuary itself dates from 1511. The graveyard was so “popular” the monks had to make space for new graves all the time and thus they have given a task to half-blind monk to gather the bones from the abolished graves and putting them in the crypt. This was the reason behind gathering the bones and it gave someone an idea of creating the decorations out of these bones.

Three centuries later the monks have hired a woodcarver to decorate
the inside of the Chapel with the human bones. At that stage the crypt contained remains of 40 000 people.

The sight is gruesome and awe inspiring at the same time. It is a major tourist attraction often eclipsing other destinations in Kutna Hora.

Follow this link to see my photo gallery of Sedlec Ossuary. Warning: lots of human bones!
http://www.digital-photo.com.au/v/Landscapes/Europe/Czech+Republic/Sedlec+Ossuary/

Please note you need to pay a small fee in order to take photographs or video in th e Ossuary.

System

very interesting, ted-

neat photo and thanks for posting-

Ted Szukalski

Thanks George. It is quite a peculiar place where a human drama, macabre and art meet in one place.