Chapter 18 "Bone Church"

About 45 mins outside of Prague is a day trip well worth it (unless skeletons really creep you out.) In a little town called Kutna Hora, there lies an ossuary that is filled with the remains with about 40,000 human skeletons. It is so morbidly fascinating. I was thinking that at first it might be really gross to see, but really it isn't. I found it quite intriguing myself looking to see what choice of bones they used for what ever they were building. Smaller more intricate bones were used for detailing, such as the bones in the hands, and larger more sturdy bones were used in practical purposes.


Here's a little background on why it's there. The ground on which the church stands is considered very sacred ever since the 1200's. This of course, leads to everyone wanting to be buried there. Early on in the 14th century, the black death spread the bubonic plague across Europe killing thousands. Of course, all the living relatives wanted their respective dead buried within the grounds. There were so many people requesting a burial, that in 1511 a half blind monk built the ossuary. The monk then was given help from an artist who helped compose the bones into lovely sculptures and artistry within the church. The monk soon passed and the artist finished his work. What is left is absolutely breath taking. A must see for anyone ever in the Czech Republic.