Church in Prague made of human bones. Ossuary in Kutna Gora. Reconstruction, work schedule, prices and other org. questions

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.

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

This question can be asked by those who were simply told about the unusual church in Sedlec. Those who visited it were divided into several groups, each of which experienced their own emotions.

We’ll say one thing for sure: it’s better for impressionable people not to go inside, or after a visit to the Ossuary, go to some bright place that will block the memories of what they saw. Although, will you forget this?

The corners of the cathedral are decorated with piles of bell-shaped bones. In the center there are 4 obelisks decorated with skulls. A bone candelabra with garlands of skulls hangs from the middle of the nave. The altar monstrances did not escape the fate of being made from human bones. You will see them on both sides of the altar.

The chandelier's fastenings to the ceiling are also made of bones. An interesting fact is that the chandelier contains all the bones that are in the human body - at least one copy of each.

The coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family is present here - large and made of bones. See photo on the right, click on photo to enlarge. The author of the bone works created his signature from the same material.

Crosses, ceiling decorations, iconostasis, vault decoration, vases, arches are made from human bones treated with chlorine solution. The columns made of skulls, about one and a half meters high, will also impress.

It's hard to describe, you need to see it!

Souvenir shops are located in the Ossuary and near the Church of St. Barbara. In addition to the usual Czech souvenirs, you can also buy memorable gifts with skulls - very colorful.

Taking pictures inside the chapel is allowed, but with the flash turned off.

If you are hungry, walk along Zamecka Street, after 200 meters you will find several good restaurants with reasonable prices and a good selection.

Services for the dead are held in the church. You can light a candle, it is not forbidden.

And don’t believe the rumors that the Ossuary will be closed (and they periodically “pop up” on the Internet). The authorities of Kutná Hora will never deprive themselves of the opportunity to earn extra money from such a unique attraction.

On the territory of the temple and cemetery it is forbidden to: smoke, drink alcohol or drink in general, eat food, litter.

You can only move around the cemetery along paths. It is forbidden to approach the graves and, especially, to sit on them.

DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING inside the church building. All this is very fragile, you can spoil the Czech national treasure with an accidental movement, and there will be corresponding responsibility.

Let your impressions of the Church of All Saints be interesting, and read our useful articles about holidays in the Czech Republic ( links below).

Ossuary in Bohemia (Czech Republic) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

Tours for the New Year to the Czech Republic
Last minute tours to the Czech Republic

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What is primarily known about the suburb of the once financial center of the Czech Republic Kutna Hora - Sedlec? That's right, the famous church Kostnice v Sedlci. In the Czech word “kostnice” one can easily guess the common root with the Russian “bones”; this, in general, is a chapel in which human remains are kept (this method of burial existed in the Middle Ages in Europe). But in Sedlec they are not just kept, but the entire church is decorated with them: chandeliers, decoration of arches and vaults, and even crosses - everything is made of human bones.

It is said that about 40,000 bones were used for finishing.

In a word, in order to think about the eternal, there is no better place than the Ossuary.

History paragraph

In the 13th century, there was a Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, whose abbot, Henry, was sent to the Holy Land by King Otokar II in 1278. There, the monk, according to the tradition of that time, collected some earth from Golgotha and, upon arriving home, scattered it over the monastery cemetery. Since then, the land of the abbey has become holy, and representatives of the most noble families not only of the Czech Republic, but also of other neighboring states wanted to be buried in the monastery cemetery.

The cemetery expanded very quickly, and in the 15th century, the Black Death and religious wars raged in Europe, so after some time there were almost no burial places left. At that time, the practice of secondary burials became widespread - the bones were placed in chapels (which were called ossuaries), and the dead were buried again in their place.

The Sedlec Ossuary owes its fame largely to an unknown half-blind monk who dug up skeletons from graves, after which he bleached the bones and put them in pyramids. As a result, six pyramids were built, several meters high. When the monk died, the brothers did not destroy the bizarre structures, but the chapel with the creepy “monuments” was closed. At the end of the eighteenth century, the noble family of Schwarzenberg became the owners of the ossuary and monastery lands, and in 1870 they instructed the carver Frantisek Rint to do something with this, ahem, pile of bones. The master bleached the bones again and began to decorate the chapel with them; we can see the result of the work to this day. Among other things, tourists are especially interested in the chandelier, which uses all the bones of the human skeleton, the large Schwarzenberg coat of arms, monstrances and the signature of the author himself.

How to get there

You can get there by bus from Prague from the Florenc bus station to Kutná Hora, from there by minibus to Sedlec. Either by train from Prague to the main station of Kutna Hora, from where again by bus to Sedlice or on foot.

The most convenient way is to drive your own car, which will also allow you to see the sights along the way (for example: the city of Kolin with its amazing cathedral). From Prague, take the E67 highway, turn off at Kolin, then follow road 38.

Ossuary in Sedlec

Restrained, well-trained Prague in style resembles a prim, excellent student. Not a single extra line and every brick in its place. The first week it delights, then it unnerves. So much so that even according to the domestic tradition of hanging billboards advertising chips on historical monuments, you begin to get bored.

But you can find a skeleton in everyone's closet. The Czech Republic decided not to limit itself to the wardrobe and assigned it to this business. It is there, in the Siedlce district, that the main ossuary of the country.

Come - you are always welcome here.

Every year 250,000 people come to see it. Will you dare to test your endurance?

Ossuary. Entrance to the territory.
The inscription is in four languages.

Are you ready to take selfies not in cafes and malls, but in a church made of bones? Then we declare preparations for the trip open!

The mosaic on the path suggests
that you have come to the right address.
Czech humor.

A little history (to nod understandingly to the guide, and not faint), the cost of entry, addresses of souvenir shops... Comparative characteristics of valerian and as an effective sedative and others nuances that are more pleasant to know BEFORE the excursion.

What do thousands of travelers come to see every year?

The ossuary in Kutna Hora is a very uniquely decorated church. To organize its interior decoration, it took 40,000 human skeletons.

At first glance, you won’t suspect anything: a small Church surrounded by a cemetery. Nothing remarkable.

You can even come here with children - but so what?

But once you step inside...

Hello - why did you come?

Bones on the ceiling and along the walls. A chandelier, columns, crosses, vases, coats of arms, cups are made from bones... The author of this gloomy structure even wrote his signature with bones.

The hall with the main exhibition is a semi-basement room.
We go down the stairs...

Chlorine-bleached skulls and shoulder blades, disinfected ribs and vertebrae, humeri and tibias... You can take an anatomy textbook with you and take a mini-inventory: you will find both os coccygis (from Latin - coccyx) and os sacrum (from Latin - sacrum) . You may not even know that each of us has so many bones.

Who thought of building something like this instead of sophisticated palaces? Why did they violate human remains? By the way, whose bones are these?!

Many, very many…

Victoria (37 years old, Vladimir):

“I didn’t want to go there, it’s not my format. But my husband insisted that it was a must see, and my son was also interested. I was frankly afraid that I would faint or something like that. In fact, pictures on the Internet are more frightening. And there, inside, you think about other things. It's not scary there, but very sad and calm. Children, especially the younger ones, don’t seem to feel anything at all: they run, scream, everyone is trying to steal or pick something... I didn’t faint, but I didn’t take pictures, and I don’t want to go back there again, although, I don’t regret that I visited.”

Human life, what are you?
Who is looking into your face?

It’s easy to tell a story, but it’s not easy to build an Ossuary

The history of the Ossuary (or ossuary: from the Latin “os” - bone) was started by the King of the Czech Republic, Otakar II. He sent one of the novices of the local monastery to Palestine. While at Golgotha, the monk took some sacred soil. He brought this earth to the Czech Republic and on a windy day scattered it over the cemetery, which after that also began to be considered sacred land.

Influential families of the Czech Republic and neighboring countries wished to bury their relatives in such a cemetery. The cemetery has become more in demand. But after the difficult year of 1318, when the plague was raging, there was no room left for new burials.

Enterprising Czechs got out gracefully. They removed all the old bones and built a cathedral and crypt for them nearby. And new dead people began to be buried in the cemetery. The trick was performed 6 times.

Now the cemetery looks like this.
Seventh shift...

During this time, 40,000 people found their last refuge in Sedlec. Some monk even built pyramids from all these phalanges, vertebrae and ribs.

But Frantisek Rint brought the church to its current form. He was invited by the Schwarzenbergs when these lands fell to them. Rint conceived and created the interior of the Ossuary. His main masterpiece is a chandelier in which every (!) bone of the human body was used.

The science of bones is osteology.
And this is an osteological chandelier.

In gratitude for the trust shown, Rint formed not only his initials, but also the Schwarzenberg coat of arms from the collarbones, shoulder blades, humerus, radius and ulna.

The Schwarzenbergs were not shy...

If you believe the legend, a visit to the Ossuary can bring a lot of money. To do this, you need to throw a coin in front of the altar. And if sometime in the future the person who performed such a ritual is in poverty, then fate will throw him sudden wealth.

Timofey (32 years old, Moscow):

"Amazing place! Who do you have to be to build something like this?! But it was worth the trip. You need to watch this once. You immediately think about different things that you usually don’t have time to remember. Everything is done beautifully, although creepy. Especially when you imagine that each bone belonged to some person who was like us: he lived, thought about something, dreamed about something... By the way, I didn’t feel any smell. I was more embarrassed by the perky selfies that other tourists took.”

Next to the cemetery there is a children's playground.
Ordinary. Not at all gothic.

How to get to the Ossuary without dying along the way?

The town of Kutná Hora is located 66 km from the Czech capital. The famous ossuary stands on its very outskirts, in the Siedlce district. This area is separated from the center by about 3-3.5 km.

There are two ways to get to bone deposits:

On one's own

An independent trip is suitable for those who:

doesn’t want to get up early and run to Wenceslas Square by 8:00;
knows how to drive, is ready to rent a car or get acquainted with Czech public transport alone;
is friendly with maps, navigators and is not afraid of getting lost on the road;
doesn’t like to live according to a schedule and always wants to change the route because “Look, what a colorful building, let’s stop and take a photo!”

Price - from 220 CZK (price of train tickets from Prague to Kutna Hora and back).

Getting there from Prague is not difficult: you can rent a car, or you can take a nap for an hour on the bus or train “Prague - Kutná Hora”.

Traveling in a rented car is a normal option.
There are no problems with parking.

A bus ride will cost 68 CZK. We choose a bus.
A train ticket costs 110 CZK. Checking the schedule.

Do you want to plan your trip wisely? Would you go... . There you will find a number of tips: addresses of trusted restaurants, coordinates of interesting locations that you can visit along the way, etc.

With a group excursion

This voyage is an option for those who:

can't drive;
does not speak Czech or English;
wants to take a break from searching for attractions on the Internet;
wants to be sure that by dinner that day (!) there will be .

Cost: €30 per person. Duration: 8 hours.

Mikhail (21 years old, Volgograd):

“We decided to go to Kostnitsa without fail. When you go inside, there is such a strange feeling... It’s not scary, no. You just remember that no one is eternal. You feel some kind of respect for death, or something... I don’t know how to describe it. But there is something to think about, even when you have already left. As for the bones... Everything is done so carefully and precisely that it is quite possible to abstract from the fact that you are surrounded by human remains.”

Abstract yourself...
and all will be well.

Reconstruction, work schedule, prices and other org. questions

Cost of tickets to the ossuary:

Full (adults) - 90 CZK;
Preferential (for students, disabled people, children) - 60 CZK.

Opening hours:

On other days:

November - February: 9:00 - 16:00;
April - September: 8:00 - 18:00 (during this period on Sundays - from 9:00);
October, March: 9:00 - 17:00.

Now in Kostnice reconstruction is taking place. The church is surrounded by scaffolding: the roof is being repaired and the façade of the building is being refreshed. The renovation will last 5 years. All this time the ossuary in the Czech Republic was and will be open for visitors.

In July 2015, the church looked like this. To the side and behind there is scaffolding. Reconstruction.

Fables periodically appear on the Internet that the ossuary is closed, but this is incorrect information. The city is run by smart people. They are able to imagine how many losses Kutna Hora will suffer if its main asset ceases to function for 5 years. Therefore, management will not take such measures.

Still nervous and afraid to ride in vain? Information can always be checked on the official website, at a travel agency, or based on reviews from recently returned tourists.

Photography is allowed, but without flash.

Both beautiful and scary...
Take photos... reflect later.

Souvenirs

There is a gift shop in the Ossuary itself, near it and near the Cathedral of St. Barbarians.

Gift shop in the ossuary.
The most popular souvenir is a skull.

Here you can buy both standard souvenirs (magnets, T-shirts, etc.) and more specific ones (knight figurines, keychains, magnets, postcards, cups with skulls and crossbones, ceramics, etc.).

Another souvenir is a T-shirt for her and for him on an impromptu display.
350 Kč.

This...that, but can everyone go there?

Particularly impressionable people who faint at the word “poop” have nothing to do there. The rest will not have nightmares or phobias. No one will go there every year, but one visit for general development is quite bearable.

If you are a believer and are worried about how the church treats such places, then you should talk about it with your confessor. He will tell you about the morals of your denomination.

Rita felt somehow uncomfortable here.

In the past, the bones were buried according to all the rules, The church still holds services in memory of the dead. Anyone can light a candle. This is hardly an insult to the deceased.

But less than ten years had passed, Rita came here again - this time with the children.

Now your wallet and psyche are ready for anything. While other tourists ooh, aah and try to stay conscious, you can expertly count all the collarbones and sternums and take a couple of epic photos. And then you look, and you’ll be able to snatch the cutest skulls from the souvenir shop.