If you don’t mind being surrounded by human remains, you will be fascinated by the Bone Church in Kutna Hora, Czechia. This small Roman Catholic chapel, officially called Sedlec Ossuary, is one of the nation’s most unforgettable attractions, and contains the bones of an estimated 40,000-70,000 people. Many are displayed in creative ways.
As famous as the ossuary is, it doesn’t require much time or trouble to visit. You can find it about an hour’s drive east of Prague. Tickets (for this and other churches in Kutna Hora) are available at a visitors’ information center down the block, and street parking is available near the church. For those with limited mobility, note there is one flight of stairs leading to the entrance. Catch your breath at the bottom, because it is going to be taken away again inside.
The history of the church is as fascinating as is the decor. In the 1200s the abbot of Sedlec’s Cistercian monastery took a trip to the Holy Land. During his visit, he removed some earth from Golgotha (“the place of a skull”) where Jesus was crucified. On his return, he sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. Once word spread of this act, the cemetery in Sedlec became a very desirable burial site.
In the early 1400s a church was built in the center of the crowded cemetery. Construction unearthed more graves (and their bones), so the church’s lower chapel became an ossuary, to hold them. Construction continued into the 1500s, when the church gave the job of exhuming and stacking bones to a half-blind monk.
In 1870 the church hired a woodcarver by the name of Frantisek Rint to arrange the bones, creating the results we see today. His most amazing piece is a chandelier containing at least one of every type of bone in a human body. You can even find his signature, spelled out in bones, near the entrance to the chapel.
If you are a bit hesitant to be surrounded by bones, please know that Sedlec Ossuary is a worthwhile site, and can even be a peaceful one. It is still a functional church, so visitors are asked to remain quiet and respectful during their visit. Photographs are allowed. Ensure you are outside the church, however, if you choose to threaten any children you bring with a permanent visit. 😉
