An ossuary is a church building that is used to store human bones when cemeteries run out of room for full bodies. There is a chapel decorated with human skeletons known as the Sedlec Ossuary, or the Church of Bones. Located in the Czech Republic, this small chapel does not simply store bones or have them on display. The bones of 40,000 to 70,000 people have been used as intricate decoration for the chapel. Sedlec Ossuary dates to the year 1278, when the abbot of the Sedlec Cistercian Monastery brought back soil from Jerusalem that was considered holy, which led to an increase in the number of people who wanted to be buried at the cemetery there.
More about cemeteries :
- The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, Romania, contains headstones that feature artwork depicting the lives of the deceased.
- One of the most well-known pieces in the Sedlec Ossuary is a chandelier that is composed of every type of bone in the human body.
- In the Philippines, people often carve their own coffins before they die, and the coffins are then hung on the sides of cliffs.
WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable
sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about
our
commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.