This chapel is both beautiful and terrifying. It's one of the most fascinating places in the Czech Republic.
The Cemetery Church of All Saints, known as the Sculpture Chapel, is one of the most unique and fascinating places in the Czech Republic. Located in Kutná Hora, this chapel is a unique example of funerary art, inspiring visitors to reflect and contemplate. The upcoming All Saints' Day celebrations are a perfect opportunity to travel to the Czech Republic and see this extraordinary monument for yourself.
November 1st is a time for reflection on the passing of time and for honoring the dead around us. It's worth spending the first weekend of November near Prague, Czech Republic. There's a truly unique tourist attraction there – the All Saints' Church, also known as the Skull Chapel, which once belonged to a Cistercian abbey.
This eerie structure can be found in the picturesque town of Kutná Hora , 65 km from the Czech capital. Its basement houses a truly eerie ossuary. As the chapel's name suggests, it is decorated with bones and skulls. Tens of thousands of human skeletons were used for its unique "decoration. "
The Bone Chapel in the Czech Republic - an extraordinary work of architecture License: revers / ShutterstockThe history of this place dates back to the late 13th century, when Abbot Jędrzej, upon returning from Jerusalem, scattered a handful of earth brought from the Holy Sepulcher on the local cemetery. The cemetery immediately became a coveted burial place for believers from all over Central Europe.
During the plague and the Hussite Wars, the number of burials rose to around 40,000, which led to difficulties in managing the remains. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, the decision was made to build a chapel to house the exhumed remains. However, it wasn't until three centuries later that the chapel took on its current, macabre, artistic appearance.
The History of the Skull Chapel in Kutná Hora License: Mikhail Markovskiy / ShutterstockIn 1870, the task of arranging the skeletons was entrusted to the Czech sculptor František Rint , who created from them not so much decorations as complex structures that became a key element of the interior design. Using the remains of thousands of people buried there, Rint fashioned a magnificent chandelier of suspended crossbones and skulls, the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family, which financed the reconstruction, as well as Christograms (monograms representing Christ, such as IHS), garlands, and even his own signature, inscribed on one of the walls.
Huge mounds were hewn along the sides, and alongside them – endless loops of skulls and bones, arranged with reverence. Every year, Kutná Hora welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world, eager to witness this truly Baroque manifestation of memento mori.
