Church above the Ossuary.

It has been approximately eight months since my trip abroad to Central Europe.  As an evening student, I never thought I would get the chance to embark on such a memorable journey.  But I did - and memorable it was!

One of the things I remember most - but haven't already written about - was the Sedlec Ossuary, or the "Bone Church" located in Kutna Hora, which is about an hour's drive from Prague in Czech Republic.

Coat of Arms

 













A brief history from the Ossuary's webpage (http://www.ossuary.eu/index.php/en/ossuary):

A monastery was founded near the site in 1142. The monks' primary task was land cultivation. In 1278, the Bohemian king sent the Sedlec abbot on a diplomatic mission to the Holy Land. When leaving Jerusalem, he took with him a handful of earth from Golgotha, which he sprinkled at the cemetery of the Sedlec monastery. As word spread, the cemetery became famous, and the desire to be buried here grew among Central Europeans. 

Bone Chandelier

After 1400, an abbot established a Gothic style church in the middle of the cemetery, and under it was placed a chapel destined for bones from destroyed graves, a task given to a half blind monk sometime after 1511. The current arrangement of the chapel goes back to 1870 and is the work of a Czech wood-carver, František RINT and his wife.
 
The Sedlec Ossuary contains the remains of roughly 40 000 people and is a World Heritage site.

While a destination like this may not suit everyone, it was a remarkable sight to see, and I am glad I took the opportunity to see it!

Display of Skulls