Human Bones As Medieval Interior Decoration

Share |

Pin It

Gothic church of All Saints (Czech Republic) is considered one of the most horrible of works of art. Its walls are decorated with 40,000 human bones of the Middle Ages. Church of All Saints, or as it is called an ossuary (Czech. Kostnice v Sedlci), is located in the small Czech town of Sedlec.

Human Bones As Medieval Interior Decoration in Czech Republic

Gothic church of All Saints (Kostnice v Sedlci) in Czech Republic

In 1278 the abbot Henry, having been at Calvary, brought back a little of the Holy Land and scattered it on the territory of the local abbey. The news of this was spread far beyond the Czech Republic. People from all over Central Europe wanted to be buried in the cemetery at this monastery. Of course, over time it has grown strongly. Monks began to put the remains of thousands of people in the tomb, and bury new bodies in their place.

In the 18th century, the monastery was closed and sold to the Schwarzenbergs. After nearly 100 years, their descendants have hired a woodcarver František Rint, who had to find new use to tens of thousands of bones. František decided to leave all the bones in the monastery, but in a slightly different incarnation. He decorated the interior space of the church.

Piles of bones are scattered in the form of bells in different corners. There is a huge bone chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the creation of which has left at least one copy of a human skeleton and a whole garland of skulls. The architect bleached every bone in a special solution to achieve the same color.

Among the other works of this terrible art there are a monstrance altar, two large bowls, standing on each side of the crypt and, of course, coat of arms of the Schwarzenbergs: a raven pecks a severed head of a Turk.

Thousands of tourists from around the world come to see this creepy ossuary.