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Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary at Kutná Hora

Yesterday, we headed off to Kutná Hora, a town about few hours travel from Prague and with its historical town center listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec.

We stopped first at the famous Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary (a place to keep the bones of the dead) which was built during the late 14th century. The unique interior of the cemetery chapel contrasts its simple exterior design. Inside the chapel, you can see bones intricately made into a massive chandelier, as wall moldings and other decorations. These bones were estimated to come from the 40,000 people who died during the epidemic in the 14th century and during the Hussite wars early in the 15th century.

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
Inside the Ossuary, tourists inspecting the details of the bone decorations

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
One of the Baroque candelabras (candle holders) at the middle of the chapel, decorated with skulls and with an angel sitting on top

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
The intricate arrangement of skulls and bones as ceiling decorations

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
The main altar

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms with the pyramid of bones behind

Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary, Kutna Hora
The simple chapel exterior

Stepping inside gave me a bit of a creepy feeling especially seeing the piles of bones, though I can’t help but admire the creativity of the artist, Czech wood carver František Rint, with the skeletal art work and arrangement particularly the elaborate Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms.

2 Comments

  1. betchai

    My heart beats so fast just looking at the pictures Carey 🙂 (gakabog-kabog ba) so I don’t know how much more it would be thumping when I am really seeing them in person. But knowing that it is a cemetery chapel, then, it is not that scary probably. i like the most the Scwharzenberg coat of arms, it looks a very delicate work of art actually, only that at close inspection, it is made of bones 🙁

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. thursday in kutná hora | //rainydazeee.com// - [...] Sedlec Ossuary popularly known as the church of bones (pic below) [...]
  2. new horizons » Photohunt: Scary - [...] You can read more about this chapel here. [...]
  3. A virtual Visita Iglesia (church pilgrimage during the Holy Week) | Happy Steps travel blog - [...] of the Cemetery Church of All Saints with an Ossuary also known as Church of Bones, Kutna [...]
  4. Special Travel Feature: Wolfgangsee, Austria by Rainydazeee | Happy Steps travel blog - [...] capital city for its many architectural gems, and also other famous sights such as Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora, Karlštejn…

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