Dem bones...

On our way home from Prague, we stopped in Sedlec (near Kutna Hora) to see the famous ossuary. Back in medieval times, a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land scattered a handful of earth that he'd brought back in the churchyard, which made the cemetery a very desirable place to be buried. Eventually there were so many graves there that they had to start digging up the bones and piling them up to make room for new tenants. In 1870, the family that owned the church gave a local craftsman free rein to decorate the chapel with the raw materials at hand. The results are spectacular (and bizarre). A must-see if you're into Twisted Tourist Attractions.



The chandelier is supposed to contain all the different bones in the human body.


He had more bones than he could possibly use, so he piled the leftovers into a couple of large heaps.


Here's the coat of arms of the Schwartzenberg family (owners of the chapel). The raven in the lower right is pecking at the body of a dead Turk.