Bone Church In Czech Republic

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40,000 dead form morbidly fascinating sculptures and artwork; skeletons meticulously fashioned in 1870 by a wood carver. This is Sedlec's Church; All Saints ossuary in the Czech Republic.

Sedlec is a suburb to Kutna Hora, a town in south Bohemia that once flourished due to its mined silver reserve. It is about an hour's travel from Prague.

History

So why were so many corpses buried here, and who was responsible for the works of art? In 1278 the Cistercian abbot of Sedlec, Henry, traveled to Palestine and the 'Holy Land', bringing home a sample of earth from Golgotha which was later, upon his return, sprinkled over the grounds of his local cemetery.

The grounds were immediately considered scared, and hence became a much sought after location for relatives to bury their dead. In the 14th century, the Black Death spread the bubonic plague across Europe and now 30,000 bodies all wanted a resting place within the sacred grounds. Such vast numbers of dead led to the creation of the ossuary in
1511 by a half-blind monk who gathered up the bones to be stacked up within the ossuary, making space for new corpses, which were soon taken up by more victims from 15th century Hussite Wars.

The ossuary itself is situated in the basement of the All Saint's Chapel. Frantisek Rint, wood carver and artist was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to imaginatively compose the bones into works of art; amongst his creations came the Schwarzenberg family's coat of arms, and a chandelier containing every bone in the human body (although I couldn't say whether this includes the smallest bones found in the human ear!), composed of several bodies. In the four corners of the ossuary sit four 'bells', pile upon pile of bones carefully stacked with a hollowed centre.

I had come across the "Church of Bones" (as I then knew it) once or twice on the Internet and again having watched Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman's Motorcycle adventures "Long Way Round".

As I was about to visit Prague, I decided to take a day trip out to this ossuary and so having taken two trains out from the city of Prague, I had stepped out of the heated carriage and into the cold snow laden town of Kutna Hora.

All Saints Church stood picturesque in the crisp fresh snow. With its more recent graves laid out in front, there were no glimpses as to the ossuary that lay beneath the ground.

The door on the side of the church was ajar and even before I stepped inside, I was transfixed with by first glance of the amazing array of skulls, femurs and pelvises, carefully fastened and sculpted by Rint over 130 years ago.

Arrangements lined the walls, and a set of dark uninviting steps lead down to chandelier that dominates the chamber.

Once I had stepped inside I felt disconnected to reality outside of the church, as though I had stepped into a film set and an elaborate collection of props. Such thoughts do not do justice to the ossuary, but it is a lot to take in one go despite its relatively moderate size.

Having gazed in wonderment down into the 'bells' where countless bones were stacked one upon the other, I began to appreciate that every skull represented a person;

A life so different from my own, yet connected in many other respects, not least because I too would one day be reduced to these ghostly remains, a forgotten memory from an unwritten future's history.

Often plagued by existentialist thoughts, I think such a visit did more good than harm. I couldn't really agree with Ewan McGregor's comment that the church was "a serial killer's wet dream that put him right off his lunch!", as an artist myself

I could value the artistic merit of the bone's arrangements and the internal reflections they induce.

If any existence continues beyond this life, I see it as ludicrous that they might dwell on the remnants of their body. Even bones decay given enough time, and what is time when you are dead?


Sedlec Ossuary Photography

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Title - Human Bone Chandelier

Details :- Photographs are printed to the highest quality on 315gsm Innova Fine Art Paper, and are available in two sizes.

In 1511, the ossuary was created by a half-blind monk who gathered up the bones of the black death victims, which were added to with victims from 15th century Hussite Wars.

In 1870 a wood carver was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to fasion the bones into works of art

Description :- A close up of the dominating chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and forms a pivotal focal point from wherever you are within the church. Every bone from the human body was used in the construction of the chandelier, composed from several bodies.
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Description :- The dominating chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and forms a pivotal focal point from wherever you are within the church. Every bone from the human body was used in the construction of the chandelier, composed from several bodies.
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Description :- A close up of the dominating chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and forms a pivotal focal point from wherever you are within the church. Every bone from the human body was used in the construction of the chandelier, composed from several bodies.
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Title - Chandelier and Crucifix

Description :- From the main chamber of the church you can take in the whole striking view of the pyramid skull holders to the chandelier, skull lined ceiling and the crucified Christ figure in the window.
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Title - Chalice, Bone Art

Description :- An impressive chalice fashioned from human bones by a wood carver in the 19th century.
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Title - Bone Bell

Description :- These giant bone bells sit in each corner of the church, containing the bulk of human remains, each one with a caved hollow running right through.
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Title - Hanging Skulls

Description :- Every wall, even up to the ceiling, contains an assortment of arranged bones. These skulls hang from the wall just inside the entrance of the church.
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Title - Schwarzenberg's Coat of Arms.

Description :- The Schwarzenberg's family's coat of arms.
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Description :- An artistic arrangement of bones, by Frantisek Rint. This crown forms the top of the Schwarzenberg's family's coat of arms.
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Here Is More Pics.

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3 comments :

Unknown said...

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