How to get from Prague to the ossuary. Temple of bones. Interior of the lower chapel

Attention to the faint of heart, defenders of the faith and moralists - to correctly understand this place, you need to know its history!

Ossuary in the CZECH REPUBLIC - church made of human bones (SEDLEC, KUTNA HORA)

On the outskirts of the city of Kutna Hora in the town of Sedlec in the Czech Republic there is a unique structure - a holy cemetery with Bethlehem soil and the famous Kosnitsa Temple. An ossuary is nothing more than a chapel of a Catholic church with a ossuary. But that's exactly what The ossuary is unique and the only one in the world. This is a kind of tribute to the death and historical memory of local residents, a reminder of the frailty of all things, the transience of our lives and the day of judgment. The temple is decorated with the remains of 40 thousand people - there are human skulls and bones everywhere...

From the street, the building of the Ossuary does not particularly stand out; behind the monastery fence, near a modest cemetery, there is a small church entangled in scaffolding.

After the plague epidemic and the religious wars of the Hussists, there was a catastrophic shortage of space, the cemetery grew, but the number of dying was still much greater than the territory of the monastery land could accommodate. Then it was decided to build a church with a tomb here - the so-called ossuary. In fact, the tomb was an ordinary warehouse of bones that were removed from old graves, and the free space in the cemetery was used for the second and third round... After some time, the space in the ossuary ran out, and then one of the old half-blind monks decided to put in order the piles of accumulated bones , bleached them in a special disinfectant solution and carefully folded them into four huge pyramids.

This was the case until 1870, when the land with the Ossuary became the property of the Schwarzenberg family. They decided to tidy up and improve the old warehouse of bones and hired a talented woodcarver, Frantisek Rint, whose main task was to create the interior of the church from the accumulated bones. Four now symbolic pyramids remained in the center of the temple, as a reminder of the past merits of the caring monk.

The results of Frantisek Rint's work have been impressing visitors for many years: garlands of bones and skulls hang from the ceiling...

In the center of the church, a huge bone chandelier descends from the ceiling, in which all the bones of the human skeleton are involved in full:

To the left of the entrance to the crypt there is a large Schwarzenberg family coat of arms, also made of bones, of course:

Initially, the coat of arms was missing a detail in the lower right corner - the head and raven appeared later, by order of a family, one of whose members saved the country from the invasion of the Turks by tracking down and killing a Turkish spy. It is his skull that now adorns the family coat of arms, where a raven quite symbolically pecks out the eyes of an enemy spy.

On the sides of the stairs there are vases and columns made of human bones...

Even the city's coat of arms, the monastery's coat of arms and the master's autograph on the wall are made of the same material. That is why the Czech Ossuary is unique and the only such structure in the world. Ossuary depositories can be found in other countries and cities - mountains of skulls, mountains of bones... But nowhere else in the world are there such a large number of interior items created from human bones.

Many consider this attitude towards the remains to be barbaric and sacrilege, but the temple is located below ground level, which means that the bones are actually in the ground, in a crypt, and buried according to all church canons, plus they were buried according to all the rules in the cemetery earlier. The room is well lit and ventilated, services are regularly held here and candles are always lit in memory of everyone who is buried here. Anyone can leave 4 crowns in the donation box and light their own memorial candle.

The impressions are, of course, mixed. But as for me, I personally would prefer to be such an ornament after death than to simply rot in an earthen pit. And I don’t see anything offensive here at all.

It is not recommended for particularly impressionable people, pregnant women and people with a delicate mental structure. For others, the chapel is open 7 days a week, from morning to evening and seven days a week. The cost of an adult entrance ticket is about 100 CZK. You can take as many photographs as you like, but without flash. Here you can also buy historical brochures, magnets, coins, T-shirts and other souvenirs with the symbols of the Ossuary.

ATTENTION! The ossuary will soon be closed for several years for reconstruction!
The church itself and the lands of the adjacent cemetery are actively subsiding underground. But there is no mysticism in this. Like most of the buildings in Kutná Hora and Sedlec (more details in the next post), these lands stand on hollow mines, silver mining was carried out here for several centuries, and almost the entire surrounding area is dotted with underground tunnels and empty cavities that are actively eroded by groundwater. Therefore, over time, the land and the buildings built on them settle. And if you are going to visit this unique place, I recommend doing so in the near future.

Operating mode: November - February from 9:00 to 16:00, October and March from 9:00 to 17:00, April - September from 8:00 to 18:00.

HOW TO GET FROM PRAGUE TO KUTNA HORA?

* BY TRAIN: From the main railway station to the Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží station is 73 km, which is approximately 1 hour. According to the schedule, the first train leaves Prague at 5:16, and the last at 23:16. In the opposite direction - at 5:00 and 22:24. The ticket costs approximately 3 euros (if you buy it in advance). You can check the schedule, cost and buy a ticket through a single service idos.cz

* BY BUS: from the bus station ÚAN Florenc and metro station Praha Háje to the bus station Kutná Hora autobusové stanice routes daily from 6:00 to 22:00. In the opposite direction - from 4:50 to 20:22. Some routes require 1-2 transfers, this is about 65 km, travel time is approximately 1.40-2.00 hours. The price of a ticket for a direct route one way is about 2.50 euros, a trip with a transfer is 2.2 euros. Schedule, route type, ticket price and purchase are also possible through the single service idos.cz.

* WITH EXCURSION: at agencies near the Olroy clock in the center of Prague, an excursion in a small group for 15-20 people with a Russian-speaking historian guide for the whole day, with a visit to Kutna Hora, the Ossuary in Sedlec and some Czech castle will cost about 35 euros .

This church, completely unremarkable from the outside, is located near the town of Kutna Hora, approximately 70 kilometers from the capital of the Czech Republic.

From the inside, the hall is an amazing and at the same time shocking architectural monument in which all the main design elements are made of human bones. At the sight of this entire masterpiece, dual feelings begin to fill the soul. Aweful horror and vivid delight merge in a single dance of the most intimate emotions.

In 1218, a plague epidemic swept across Europe. When cemeteries could no longer accommodate such a huge number of dead, secondary burials began. The old bones were put into chapel-ossuaries, and the dead were buried again in their original places.

The cemetery was resold several times, and as a result, the remains of more than 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 of bones was closed for 350 years and tens of thousands of skulls, phalanges, ribs and hip joints were left waiting in the wings.

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. The designer decided to compromise his moral principles and create something special.

He soaked the bones in bleach and gradually created his creations. One of the most unusual was the chandelier, where the master used absolutely all parts of the human skeleton. In gratitude to his employer, Rint also made the Schwarzenberg coat of arms out of bones.

Human remains cannot be restored. In the 70s of the last century, they tried to strengthen the bones with cement, but then they considered this to be disrespectful to the memory of the dead. As a result, it was decided that the interior would be stored until it crumbled into dust - this is approximately another three centuries.

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 is a kind of reminder of the coming apocalypse and death, which slowly follows each of us.

Video – Ossuary - creepy church

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 the public!
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

Not far from the Czech Prague there is a small town - Kutna Hora. Like any European town, there is a town hall, a church and a square. It seems like nothing special, but buses full of tourists arrive there every day. Despite its proximity to the magnificent Czech capital, Kutná Hora is an attractive destination for travelers. The main reason is the Church of All Saints, located in the Siedlice region.

Externally, this building is not particularly remarkable: strict Gothic lines, rising turrets, arched windows. The uniqueness of this church lies inside, in its crypt. There is the largest ossuary in the Czech Republic - a place for storing skeletal remains. The ossuaries themselves are an eerie phenomenon, but quite common. The peculiarity of the temple in Kutna Hora is that human remains do not just rest peacefully there - the main part of the interior is made of them. It looks terrifying and bewitching. It all started in the 13th century.

Brief history of the ossuary in Kutna Hora

In 1278, there was a monastery of the Cistercians, a Catholic order that branched off from the Benedictines. The abbot of this monastery, Henry, was sent by the then king of the Czech Republic Otakar II to Palestine. From a business trip, the minister brought some earth from Golgotha, where, according to the New Testament, Jesus Christ was crucified. Henry scattered this land around the monastery cemetery, marking the beginning of the popularity of this place. It was believed that thanks to particles of Jerusalem soil, miracles were performed here.

Even a small amount of holy land was enough to attract believers not only from the entire Czech Republic, but also from other countries of Central and even Western Europe. People dreamed of being buried in the Siedlice cemetery in order to be closer to the resurrection, and their dreams came true. The cemetery grew.

The continuous and large flow of the dead of Kutna Hora was ensured by the historical events of the subsequent century. Endless medieval wars, the plague, and then the Hussite wars - all this claimed countless thousands of lives. People brought the bodies of their dead and murdered relatives to bury them next to pieces of Palestinian soil. There was less and less space, so the practice of so-called secondary burials was used: bones were dug up, put in chapels, which therefore began to be called ossuaries, and new dead people were buried in their place.

In 1400, a church was erected on the graveyard, the tomb of which was used as an ossuary for the remains from burials in the cemetery in Sedlice. The vacated areas were intended for construction and, of course, for new dead. During the first century of the existence of the Church of All Saints, so many bones accumulated that there was nowhere to put them.

Bones as decoration

It was then, at the beginning of the 16th century, that the first interior items from the remains appeared there. According to legend, the use of skeletons as a material and design element was invented by a half-blind Cistercian monk, who was tasked with removing bones from graves and storing them in a tomb. Even if he really had poor eyesight, this deficiency was more than compensated for by his imagination, albeit a rather peculiar one. Bleaching the skeletons in a bleach solution, he built six pyramids from them - two in the center and one in each corner.

Later, the pyramids were topped with crowns that symbolized the kingdom of heaven and were placed there by the architect Jan Santini. The master worked in the Baroque style and thanks to him, the Church of All Saints acquired its final appearance, receiving a new entrance and a Baroque upper tier.

At the end of the 18th century, by order of the emperor, the monastery was closed. The ossuary, cemetery and land were acquired by the Schwarzenberg family, large Bohemian landowners. They hired woodcarver Frantisek Rint to tidy up the pile of remains. It is not known how they imagined this order, but Rint seemed to have an extraordinary sense of beauty and unhindered creativity. Now he would probably be a successful and fashionable interior designer and would have access to any materials - then he had only bones at his disposal. And he gave them a second life, glorifying himself, the church, and the city.

Inside the church

The first thing that attracts the visitor's attention is the huge candelabra hanging from the middle of the nave. This is a monumental chandelier of bones that contains at least one example of every human bone, and there are just over two hundred of them in the adult skeleton. The candelabra is decorated with garlands of skulls, and the chandelier is attached to the ceiling using jaws.

Rint also paid tribute to his employers. One of the walls of the room is decorated with a large Schwarzenberg family coat of arms, which was made from thousands of bones. The author managed to convey every detail of the coat of arms, the bones are laid out symmetrically and perfectly - it is clear that it was done with love and passion. The master also did not forget himself, laying out his autograph from his favorite material.

The vaults and walls of the cathedral are also lined with skulls and crossbones, the bones are hung throughout the room, they are all around. Vases, garlands, arches, gift boxes near the altar, ceiling decor, iconostasis and even the main Christian symbol - the cross - everything is made from newly bleached and carefully processed parts of human skeletons.

The skill of the woodcarver, who became famous for his skillful work with bones, is amazing. The atmosphere created in this way completely captivates every visitor, penetrating directly into the soul. The aesthetic merits of Frantisek Rint's creations make us completely forget about the moral side of the issue of using skeletons to decorate premises. The gloomy beauty of the ossuary in Kutna Hora can make even the most frivolous tourist think about the eternal.

How to get to the main Czech ossuary

Kutná Hora is located just 60 kilometers east of the Czech capital Prague and is a popular tourist destination, so there will be no problems with transport. Trains run there from the main Prague railway station at intervals of two hours. The duration of such a trip is less than an hour, and a second-class ticket purchased in advance will cost about one hundred CZK (about four euros). The first train leaves at six in the morning, the last at ten in the evening.

These trains, of course, also run in the opposite direction, and at shorter intervals. The first train from Kutna Hora to Prague leaves at 4:57, the last at 21:00.

You can also get to Kutna Hora by bus. You can catch it at the Florenc bus station, as well as at the Haje metro station (Czech Haje) - the terminus of the red line, also known as line C. These buses depart daily from 6:00 to 22:00, and from Kutna - You can return to the mountains in Prague from 4:50 to 20:22. Some bus routes require transfers and will require you to travel for at least 1 hour and 40 minutes. But this way you will save some money: a direct flight will cost a hundred crowns, with transfers - 89.

If you are visiting the Czech Republic with your own car or rented a car in Prague, then the road to Kutna Hora from the center of the capital will take about an hour, the distance is 80 kilometers. This method will allow you to explore passing attractions - for example, the luxurious cathedral in the city of Kolin.

Opening hours of the ossuary in Kutna Hora and ticket prices

You can visit the ossuary on almost any day, including Sundays. The exception is Catholic Christmas. Opening hours depend on the season:

From April to September inclusive – 08:00–18:00;
In October and March – 09:00–17:00;
From November to February – 09:00–17:00.

The entrance fee for a regular adult is 90 CZK. Reduced entry costs 60 CZK and is available to schoolchildren, students, pensioners and people with disabilities. Bones and skulls aren't exactly associated with family vacations, but that stereotype is apparently misleading. At least the main ossuary in the Czech Republic offers special family tickets: two adults and up to four children can enter this terribly beautiful place for 240 CZK, and if there are more children (up to eight), then entry will cost 300 CZK.

In addition, there are group tickets for groups of eight people or more. A full ticket in this case will cost you 75 CZK, a reduced ticket – 50 CZK.

What else to see in Kutna Hora

If you've already had enough bones, and there are still a couple of hours before the train, then you will find something to do in the city. There you can simply walk aimlessly along the streets: the city center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and this is the best recommendation, a kind of quality mark.

Separately worthy of mention are the Cathedral of St. Barbara - the second in size and status in the country - as well as the Vlassky Courtyard. The latter performed many functions, but went down in history as the mint where the Czech penny was issued. Now you can see how coins are minted and look into the basement where instruments of torture are displayed.

Friends, greetings! The ossuary in Kutná Hora leaves such a strong impression that many tourists who visit this Czech town filled with attractions first of all remember the chapel. Kutna Hora has unique majestic cathedrals - they are beautiful... But the small chapel, where the chandelier, monstrance, bowls and other interior details are made of human bones, has an even more emotional impact on visitors.

The chapel is also called a ossuary, which, by the way, is not the only one in the Czech Republic. But Kutnogorsk became famous for its interior made of bones, created with high skill.

In order to prepare travelers who are planning to visit Kutna Hora to perceive such an unusual object, I would like to provide the following information:

Where is the ossuary chapel in Kutna Hora located?
History of the formation of the ossuary
Creating a unique interior

Location of the Kutnogorsk Ossuary

The famous chapel is located at the Church of All Saints on the territory of the Sedlec Monastery. The Cistercian monastery in Sedlec was formed a century earlier than, it operated for six centuries, owned vast territories, and currently only two temples remain of all this wealth. But what kind!

One of them is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with a sublimely beautiful interior. And the second is a small cemetery church of All Saints with an awe-inspiring interior.

Both temples are located on the way from the main train station Kutna Hora to the city center. is located on the left, and the church with the ossuary is to the right of the road. There are signs everywhere along the route, and already from the sidewalk, All Saints Cathedral is partially visible behind the sculptural exhibition:

Each traveler decides which temple to visit, or explore both, individually. There is a fee to visit these sites, but there is a comprehensive ticket that is more affordable.

History of the formation of the ossuary

Many are somewhat shocked that such an unusual chapel was created in the Czech Republic. But, if you get acquainted with the history of the formation of the ossuary and its interior design, comprehension and a calmer perception of the very fact of the existence of such an object begins. It should be noted that the ossuary is one of the most visited sites in Kutná Hora.

It all started with the fact that since the end of the 13th century this area was considered holy. Otakar II, who ruled the Czech Republic at that time, sent the abbot of the Sedlec monastery to Jerusalem in the 1270s, from where he brought the holy land. The earth delivered from Golgotha was scattered on the territory of the monastery.

From that time on, not only the Czechs, but also the inhabitants of some other European states bequeathed to bury them in this land that had acquired sanctity. Many people found their final resting place in Sedlec, but even more burials were added after the plague epidemic and the Hussite wars.

At the end of the 14th century, construction began on the Church of All Saints, designed in the form of two chapels - upper and lower. This is how the church looks now - an upper chapel dedicated to All Saints, and a basement that serves as a ossuary. The entrance to each of the chapels is separate. At the top there is an altar:

A musical instrument is installed next to the altar. And since almost the entire interior of the church is made of human bones, thoughts come to mind that this fact is directly related to the instrument:

The centuries-old existence of the cemetery at the monastery led to its excessive expansion. During new burials, bones were encountered every now and then. They were carried to the lower chapel, which quickly filled up. In 1511, a half-blind monk, by some inner inspiration, decided to organize the contents of the crypt and laid out the remains in the form of six pyramids:

When the monastery was closed at the end of the 18th century, the surrounding lands were bought by a prince from the Schwarzenberg family. In 1870, his descendants invited Frantisek Rint, a master of wood carving. The master was asked to create the interior of the ossuary from such an unusual material as a human skeleton.

Of course, we cannot know how Rint reacted emotionally to such an offer, but the master took on the proposed work. Four other members of Rint's family helped him in such an extraordinary task. Since then, the interior of the ossuary chapel has remained unchanged.

Interior of the lower chapel

To create the interior, Frantisek Rint used all the bones of the human skeleton. All “material” is treated with a solution of chlorinated slaked lime. The treatment ensured disinfection and also gave the bones a specific chalky tint:

This is how the entrance to the ossuary is decorated. The ornament was created above the entrance arch. In the niches there are monstrances - bone bowls for relics:

The master's most significant products are the chandelier and the Schwarzenberg coat of arms. If the manufacture of a chandelier was improvisational in nature, then the creation of a coat of arms required an accurate reflection of the details. Rint skillfully coped with this task, even including such a famous element of the Schwarzenberg coat of arms as “the raven pecking out the Turk’s eye”:

It is symbolic that in this context this element takes on a certain sinister character. When you look at the named couple (crow and Turk) on the facades of palaces and in castle apartments, everything is perceived as nothing more than a decorative element. Many coats of arms of this family can be seen in an unusually bright and festive place - in the Hluboká nad Vltavou castle.

One of the bone pyramids is visible behind the coat of arms in the ossuary. The pyramids have four holes for ventilation, and a crown is placed on top, symbolizing the victory of the human spirit over death.

The interior of the ossuary is complemented by stone slabs that were already embedded in the walls and floor before Rint began transforming the room:

The natural question is how many people’s remains are collected in the ossuary. It is believed that about 40 thousand. And regarding the ossuary, they emphasize that they created such a chapel only for the purpose of giving people the opportunity think about the transience of earthly life, about what a person fills his life with...

Friends, I confess that I did not immediately decide to publish this article and photo of the ossuary. This is probably a topic that needs to be “mature”... Perhaps this post of mine has caused conflicting feelings in you too. And the ossuary is a pilgrimage site, not a tourist one.

The town has a lot of attractions that are perceived lightly, easily and joyfully. The same temples - and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary - are so close to the theme of the ossuary, but the impressions from visiting them are completely different... Everyone decides for himself which objects to visit.

Your euro guide Tatyana

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