Want to have a spooky adventure trip? Then head over to the Sedlec Ossuary, in Prague. Mid-March to May is a good time to enjoy the beautiful Prague weather and to plan a trip to the Czech Republic. The city has an old town feel with cobbled streets and gothic structures. The city’s gothic church looks like any normal church from the outside but the basement has skeletal remains of around 40,000 people beautifully and intricately carved to adorn the walls of the chapel.
Image Credit: CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=332110
Located near the Kutna Hora, a quaint city near Czech Republic the church has an interesting story behind it’s bone chapel. It is believed that a local abbot brought back some sacred soil from Jerusalem when he returned after a pilgrimage. The soil was spread across the church’s cemetery which made it the most sought after place to get buried. After the plague hit Europe around 30,000 victims were brought to the cemetery. Another 10,00 victims of the crusade were also brought in to rest in the cemetery.
After the construction of the church in the 15th century, the bones were piled up in the ossuary in the basement of the new building. In 1870 the church hired Francis Rint, a local wood carver to make something out of the mound of bones. He bleached the bones and then carved them to adorn the walls of the chapel.
Image Credit: word_virus [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
He made chalices, chains and crosses that embellish the alter. The most stunning piece is the chandelier, which is made by using every single bone of the human body. There are skulls lit with candles, and glare down at the people who enter the church. Visiting the macabre chapel with bone ornaments has a different effect on different people. Some find it spooky while some find peace. Enter the church at your own risk.
Pro Tip:
When travelling to Czech get yourself the Czech Republic Currency i.e. Czech Crown (Koruna) as the Euro doesn’t work there.
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