Ossuary in Sedlec - Church of All Saints (Kutná Hora). Czech Republic: Ossuary - Church made of bones Kutna Hora Ossuary closed for reconstruction

An amazing and terrifying architectural monument, created specifically to remind us of death, is world famous under the name Kostnica, Czech Republic. Decorations, inscription letters, pyramids, a chandelier - everything here is made from a truly unusual material, from human bones. The Church of Bones contains the remains of 40,000 people.

This unusual church is located near the town of Kutna Hora, approximately 70 kilometers from the capital of the Czech Republic. Now it is a small town, but once, thanks to silver deposits, it was practically a second Prague and, moreover, the main financial center of the entire country. But Kutna Hora was not destined to either eclipse or even catch up with the capital. The reason for this was the plague and religious wars, and over time, depleted reserves of silver. I doubt that any of the predecessors could have imagined that Kutna Hora would become famous because the world-famous ossuary (ossuary) is located here. The Czech Republic, in turn, will become a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of tourists who want to see a cemetery in the shape of a church.

Its history dates back to 1278. Then the Polish king Otakar II sent the Abbot of Siedlce on a diplomatic mission to Jerusalem. Upon his return, the abbot scattered the brought earth (a small handful) over the monastery cemetery. This event gave the cemetery the title of Holy Land and, not surprisingly, increased the popularity of this place among noble families throughout the Czech Republic and surrounding countries. Accordingly, the cemetery grew rapidly. Soon it reached a size of four hectares. After some time, rumors began to circulate that martyrs and people who died in the name of faith were buried here.

In 1218, the plague spread throughout Europe, cemeteries could not accommodate the huge number of dead, so secondary burial was actively practiced, when old bones were put in chapels (they were called “ossuaries”), and in place of the old bones, the dead were buried again. The land in the cemetery was resold more than six times, and as a result, the remains of actually 40,000 people were collected on the site of the Sedlec Monastery ossuary. In 1511, a half-blind monk, having bleached all the bones, began to stack them into six pyramids. Each pyramid was 2-3 meters high. When the monk died, the pyramids were not destroyed, but the church made of bones was closed for 350 years.

In the 18th century, Prince Schwarzenberg, who then owned the monastery land, ordered the creation of what people later called the “church of bones.” This unusual case was entrusted to the care of a local woodcarver, whose name was František Rint. He soaked the bones in bleach and gradually created his creations. One of the most unusual was a chandelier, where the master used absolutely all parts of the human skeleton - from the phalanx of the fingers to the coccygeal bones. In gratitude to his employer, Rint also made the Schwarzenberg coat of arms out of bones.

Often the Kostnica-Czech Republic route is chosen by gold-mining tourists. What is the reason? In the 16th century, monks found a treasure under one of the pyramids. It was never possible to find out its origin. It seems like it came out of nowhere. That is why the brothers attributed the discovery to divine intervention.

It is difficult to find a more striking and tragic work than a church made of bones. The Czech Republic annually welcomes thousands of guests from all over the world who want to see a unique creation of human hands. The ossuary in the Czech Republic is a kind of reminder of the frailty of all things and the coming apocalypse, the transience of human life and the day of judgment.

Ossuary in Sedlec (Kostnice v Sedlci) or the Roman Catholic cemetery Church of All Saints with a ossuary (kostel Všech Svatých s Kostnice).
Czech Republic, Central Bohemian region (Středočeský kraj). Kutná Hora district.
Kutná Hora-Sedlec, Zámecká street 127.

“This work cannot be understood as an end in itself, but for many decades it has reminded visitors of the frailty of human life and the immutable fact of death.”

Already in 1142, this place was the site of the Siedlce Cistercian monastery.

In 1278, Henry, abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec was sent by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar 2 (in Czech Přemysl Otakar/Ottokar) to the Holy Land (Palestine). From the trip, the priest brought some earth from Golgotha, where, according to New Testament tradition, Jesus Christ was crucified. The monastery brothers scattered land near the monastery and founded a cemetery. Since then, they began to believe that the local land is holy. Such a belief did not arise out of nowhere. According to legend, the body here begins to decompose only on the third day after burial. Therefore, many bequeathed to be buried in the monastery cemetery. The fame of the Holy Land in the center of Europe spread far beyond the country's borders. Among the buried were not only Czechs, but also noble dead from Germany, Poland, and Belgium.

In 1318, a plague epidemic broke out in Bohemia. Relatives took their dead to the place where the monks had once scattered a piece of Palestine. In that terrible year, the earth received about 30,000 corpses. The cemetery itself occupied four hectares and was disproportionately larger than the current one. Burials did not stop after the epidemic. The bodies of Catholic monks, whom Protestants slaughtered in hundreds, were buried here. (Hussite Wars). Over time, the cemetery gained fame as a place where martyrs and those who died for the faith were buried.

Around 1400, the Gothic Church of All Saints was built in the center of the cemetery with a basement chapel of the Soulful Agony of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that the remains of the bulk of the dead were transferred, since there was no longer room in the cemetery for new burials. The bones were stacked without any order or meaning, without caring about the aesthetics and interior of the huge crypt into which the lower Chapel of All Saints in Sedlec.

Then the “reusable” use of cemetery land became a tradition: the “old” dead were dug up, their remains were placed in the basement of the chapel (ossuary), and new ones were buried in their place, and so on, up to 6-7 reburials in the same place . Thus, the remains of more than 40,000 people accumulated in the ossuary of the church.

In 1511, a half-blind monk working in a cemetery decided to “restore order” to the ossuary. During the work, the monk decided to approach this matter creatively. He sorted human bones, put the skulls into six neat pyramids up to 3 meters high, and in the corners Castel of All Saints in Sedlec carved stone crowns over the pyramids. The monk died in the chapel, according to legend, leaving a note to his brothers that, although poor, he was an artist at heart and would like the memory of him and the dead to be preserved for many years. After the death of the monk, the ossuary was closed for as much as 350 years, leaving the “sculptures” of the strange sculptor in a cassock untouched, and thus preserved them in excellent condition.

In the 16th century, under one of these pyramids, monks found a treasure. It was never possible to find out its origin. It seemed to come out of nowhere. Therefore, the brothers attributed the accidental discovery to divine intervention. Sedlec Monastery Then they really needed money, and 10 thousand ducats, an absolutely fantastic amount, came just in time.

In 1703 - 1710 Church of All Saints in Sedlec was rebuilt. Jan Blazej Santini Aichel took part in the reconstruction and development of the entrance unit of the church, the basis of which is the upper chapel and the lower one – the “ossuary”. He gave the ossuary a modern look in the Baroque Gothic style.
In 1784, the Austrian emperor ordered the monastery to be closed. The monastery lands and the church located on them passed to the Schwarzenberg family.
In 1870, the Schwarzenbergs hired woodcarver Frantisek Rint (František Rint) in order for him to put in order a pile of folded bones. František worked with four members of his family, who bleached and disinfected the bones by treating them with a bleach solution. After drying, they took on a specific white color. True, over time, the white exhibits turned yellow, and in some places they were covered with the autographs of visitors to the castel in Sedlec.

Gradually Ossuary in the Church of All Saints in Sedlec began to take shape and become a work of art. In gratitude to his employer, Rint made the Schwarzenberg coat of arms out of bones. One of the ancestors of this family became famous for his victory over the Turkish infidels. Therefore, the Austrian emperor allowed representatives of the clan to have on their coat of arms the severed head of a Turk, whose eyes were pecked out by a crow.

All the altar crosses, all the stucco, tabernacles, flowerpots, chandeliers - everything in this chapel is made of human bones. From the pelvis, shoulder blades, ribs, skulls and others, including numerous bones of the limbs. The bones are perfectly sized and give the impression of complete sculptural compositions. Frantisek Rint was certainly very talented.

PS. It is likely that this unique creation will soon disappear; it cannot be preserved - the bones are fragile, they were bleached in quicklime, and freed from the remains of flesh. The bones are inexorably destroyed and soon the ashes will return to the cemetery, as they should be.

Ossuary in Sedlec	entrance to the ossuary in Sedlec	cross above the entrance to the Ossuary
	unique chandelier under the dome of the chapel	altar in the ossuary
	Schwarzenberg coat of arms made from human bones
Ossuary in Sedlec (Kutná Hora)		epitaph
peculiar pyramids in Kostnitsa	fragment of the pyramid in Ossuary	Rint's autograph of human bones

“decoration” of the arch vault in the ossuary	fragment of a chandelier made of human bones in the Ossuary
Ossuary in Sedlec (Kutná Hora)	fragment of a pyramid in a ossuary

Not all people know that there are special places in the world called ossuaries or ossuaries. These are places for storing skeletal remains. And today I will tell you about the ossuaries in the Czech Republic, which are among the largest in the world!

Ossuary in Kutna Hora

Ossuary in Sedlece (Kostnice v Sedlci)- a Gothic chapel in Sedlec, which is located on the outskirts of the Czech city Kutna Hora, decorated with human skulls and bones. It took about 40000 human skeletons.

Where, you ask, did so many bones and skulls appear in one place? And it’s simple, in 1827, a certain abbot from the city of Sedlice (near the Czech city of Kutna Hora) drove to the Holy Land and brought some earth from the town of Golgotha, which he scattered on the territory of the abbey. Naturally, people found out about this and wanted to be buried right here, in the Holy Land. Over time, the news spread throughout Central Europe, and people not only from Bohemia wanted to be buried here (I think this was not done for free). Naturally, there was not enough space for everyone, and considering that the plague and wars of that time claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, then something had to be done. In 1400, a Gothic cathedral with a tomb was built in the center of the cemetery. The tomb served as a kind of warehouse for bones and skulls, which began to be removed from the graves, but there was not enough space in the cemetery for everyone.

In 1784, the chapel and monastery were bought by the Schwarzenberg family, who owned such castles as Orlik nad Vltavou, and many others. Since this family had an economic streak, they hired a woodcarver, who began making crafts from bones and skulls, and thus an altar, chandeliers, garlands of skulls and other works of art appeared.

Every year, more than 250 thousand tourists come to see the ossuary. No one knows the exact number of bones here, but according to rumors, the bones of 40,000 people are kept here.

• Ossuary address: Zámecká 279, Kutna Hora
• How to get there? From the Kutná Hora-Sedlec train station you need to walk straight 300 meters and you will find yourself there. There is a direct train to Kutná Hora from Prague Main Station.
• Working hours: the ossuary is usually open from 9.00 to 16.00; it is better to find out the exact opening hours on the website. Do not believe those stories, for example from the program Eagle and Tails, that the ossuary is closed for reconstruction. The ossuary is open to visitors!
• Web site: Ossuary.eu
• from a reliable company at the best price.

In addition to this most popular ossuary in the Czech Republic, you can visit other places where a large number of skeletons and skulls are kept.

Ossuary in Brno

The crypt under St. James Square and partly under the Church of St. Jacob (Jacob) (Kostel svatého Jakuba Staršího) in the city of Brno is one of the largest ossuary repositories in Europe - more bones are stored only in the Parisian catacombs. To be more precise, more than 50,000 skeletons are stored here. Since 2012, the ossuary has been open to visitors. You can also visit the ossuary as part of the Brno Underground excursion, where you can walk through the labyrinths and underground city of Brno and learn about the rich underground history of the city.

• Ossuary address: Brno, Jakubské náměstí
• Working hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 9.00 to 18.00
• Web site: Ticbrno.cz

The city is located 80 kilometers from Prague. In its suburb of Sedlec there is one of the most unique churches in the world - the Cemetery Church of All Saints, better known as the Ossuary (Kostnice v Sedlci). The tradition of keeping the bones of the dead in chapels was widespread in the Middle Ages. But in this temple they are not just preserved - the main part of the interior decoration is made from the remains.

The history of an amazing church

The Church of All Saints was built in 1400 in the central part of the cemetery at the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec. But the mystical history of this place began much earlier.
In 1278, Abbot Henry, who served in the monastery, was sent by Otakar II to Jerusalem. From there he brought some earth taken from Golgotha ​​and scattered it around the cemetery. As a result, this place gained incredible popularity not only among Czechs, but also among residents of central Europe. Everyone wanted to find their eternal peace in the Sedlec necropolis with its holy land.

The events of the next hundred plus years - wars, floods and numerous epidemics - led to the fact that the cemetery increased significantly in size. At the beginning of the 15th century, in order to free up space for new burials, long-buried remains were removed and stored in the church tomb.

By 1500, a huge amount of bones had accumulated. It is believed that it was during that period that the first interior items from the remains appeared. According to legend, they were created by a half-blind monk.

Instead of simply throwing the skeletons into the crypt, he bleached them in a chlorine solution and used them as material. As a result, two central and four corner pyramids arose in the tomb, crowned with large crowns. Some time after the end of his labors, the monk died.

At the beginning of the 16th century the church was rebuilt. According to the architect Santini, a new entrance was added to the building and the upper tier was redone in the Baroque style. Then the temple was closed for more than 150 years.

In the center of the cathedral there are four obelisks decorated with skulls. On one of the walls of the room there is a filigree bone coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family, as well as Rint’s autograph, laid out from the remains. According to various sources, it took from 40,000 to 50,000 bones to finish the temple.

The Cemetery Church of All Saints is a temple with an amazing atmosphere. On the one hand, the skill of the master who created the jewelry is impressive. On the other hand, the thought of what material all the interior elements are made of is terrifying. The ossuary is the most suitable place to feel the transience of existence and think about the eternal. The church is open to visitors all year round, except for Christmas.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The ossuary works:

• November - February from 9:00 to 16:00
• April - September from 8:00 to 18:00 (Sunday 9:00-18:00)
• October - March from 9:00 to 17:00

Tickets:

• Standard: 90 CZK
• Reduced/children 60 CZK

Group discounts (8 or more people):

• Standard: 75 CZK
• Students/children/disabled: 50 CZK

Family tickets:

• 2 adults + 1-4 children: 240 CZK
• 2 adults + 5-8 children: 300 CZK

How to get to Kostnice

The easiest and fastest way to get to Kostnice from Prague is by train. The direct flight Prague - Kutná Hora departs from and arrives at the Kutná Hora central station (Kutná Hora město).

Flights operate regularly, every two hours, the first flight departs exactly at 6:00 am, the last at 22:00. Travel time is 56 minutes, ticket price is 106 CZK one way. On the way back the picture is even better, trains run almost every hour, the first at 4:57, the penultimate at 18:59, the last at 20:59.

The schedule and price are always subject to change, please check first!

There is a “Tourist Bus” right next to the station; the bus has 8 seats, the minimum number of passengers for departure is three. The service is popular, fills up quickly, and goes straight to the entrance to the Ossuary. Ticket price is 35 CZK one way.

Videos and photos

We made a short 2-minute video and a number of photos for you. I would like to warn you that it is prohibited to take photographs inside with a flash, an audible alarm immediately goes off, this is exactly what happened to us, we had to apologize.

Every time we were in Prague, we planned to stop by the famous Czech Ossuary. But everything somehow fell through and didn’t work out. And finally, in the cold winter of 2017, my friends and I went by car to this, to put it mildly, unusual, but very memorable place.

Not far from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, there is a small city called. For several centuries it was known for its large silver mines. But these sources of mineral resources have not been active for a long time, and the city could become a quiet, peaceful place. But…

But life here is in full swing, and all thanks to a historical landmark that is known not only in the Czech Republic, but also outside the country - the Cemetery Church of All Saints. A more common name is Ossuary .

From Prague, getting to Sedlec (a place near the city of Kutná Hora) by car will not be difficult. The distance is about 80 km. The route was suggested to us by the navigator. You can leave your car in the parking lot in front of the Ossuary.

Near the chapel there are souvenir shops and beer restaurants with very good prices for a foamy drink (a bonus for those who do not drive). And within a five-minute walk there is another attraction that deserves attention - the Church of the Ascension of the Mother of God.

It is worth setting aside a whole day for a trip to Sedlec and Kutná Hora. There is something to see and where to walk, especially if you are luckier than we are with the weather).

History of the creation of the ossuary and description

So, what did we see in Sedlec and about the history of this mysterious structure. In summer, by the way, it looks less ominous.

In the Middle Ages, human bones were often buried in chapels. But in Kostnitsa they were not just stored, but were used as building material. The interior is made of bones. The church was built at the monastery in Sedlec, a suburb of the town of Kutna Hora. But the historical beginning of this place happened a little earlier.

At the end of the 13th century, Abbot Henry, who served in the monastery, brought earth from Golgotha ​​from Jerusalem to consecrate this cemetery. The abbot scattered the brought earth on the burial grounds. Thanks to this, the cemetery has become very popular not only in the Czech Republic, but also in Central European countries. Therefore, many wanted to find eternal shelter on this holy land.

Notable dead from the Czech Republic and other European countries were buried on the territory of the cemetery. At the entrance to the cemetery there is a plague column, traditional in European cities.

The country was gripped by a plague epidemic for many years, which claimed the lives of millions of people. Numerous wars and floods further increased the mortality rate. The cemetery quickly expanded its area. The monks decided to free him by eliminating the old graves.

In those days, it was not possible to dispose of the excavated bones, and the remains had to be stored in the basements of the monastery. These basements became burial grounds - ossuaries. After some time, their number increased to 40 thousand.

They tried to free the cemetery territory by reburial several times throughout the entire period. The name of the half-blind monk who deposited the remains remains unknown. It is only known that the monk did not throw the bones into the cellars. He cleaned them with a bleach solution until they turned white. The monk then placed the bleached bones into pyramids.

As a result, two central and four side pyramids, topped with crowns, appeared in the chapel. After the monk died, the pyramids remained untouched, but the chapel was abandoned for more than three hundred years.

For a long time the chapel was not used, and the bones that accumulated were burned. At the end of the 19th century, the noble Prince Schwarzenberg bought the church and its territory. When he saw the bone pyramids in the chapel, he was dissatisfied with their appearance.

The prince decided to reconstruct the chapel premises. A local woodcarver, Frantisek Rint, was invited to do this work. He was given the task of changing the interior in the Gothic style.

The master understood the order in his own way. To decorate the church, he decided to use the bones stored in the chapel. Human remains were cleaned in a chlorine solution and then used to create the unique architectural masterpiece of the Ossuary. All the parts made from bones in the chapel have survived in their original form to this day.

In the Ossuary there is a coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family made of bones.

Hanging under the dome is a giant chandelier made from human remains, which was attached to it with jaws. All the decorations in the temple are made of bones, of which, according to conservative estimates, up to fifty thousand were used.

A large number of skeletons belonged to people who died from the plague. There are also many remains of warriors. The Ossuary displays skulls with holes, which indicate that their former owners probably died during battle from a spear or sword.

Currently, archaeological excavations are being carried out on the territory of the Ossuary. Human remains are still found underground. The bodies of many people were dumped on top of each other in mass graves due to too many deaths. Mountains of corpses accumulated, so it was not possible to perform funeral rituals for each deceased. In addition, not all dead people had families who could take care of their bodies.

The church was the setting for episodes of the films “Dungeons and Dragons” and “Blood and Chocolate”. The temple is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer (April to October) and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter (November to March). The entrance ticket costs 3.25 euros. Tours of the church are available in Czech, English and German, and audio guides are also available in Russian, French and Spanish.

The attitude towards the Ossuary is ambiguous. Everyone decides for themselves how to perceive this place: as a religious or tourist site. And everyone’s impressions are completely contradictory. But this building is definitely worth seeing. Moreover, everything there is imbued with ancient history and mysteries.

Of course, this is one of the most interesting places in the Czech Republic. As they say, “MUST-SEE”. Good luck on your travels! Share your impressions of this place in the comments.

Working hours

Open daily except December 24th.
April - September: 9:00 - 18:00 (from 9:00 to 18:00 on Sundays)
October - March - 9:00 - 17:00