Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside!

Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora should be on your itinerary if you have an extra half day in Prague.

I’m not gonna scare you with this post because it’s Halloween Week – but I’m gonna bring you to Sedlec Ossuary, a church with 40,000 human bones inside! It’s chilling, eh? Don’t worry – there’s nothing to be scared of. Hopefully, after seeing all these, you’d still be able to sleep well without nightmares. Guess what; I was okay. I was able to sleep without monsters and ghosts in my dreams.

I’ve got to be honest, though – I found it weird when I stepped inside. I was fascinated and overwhelmed by all the skulls and bones surrounding me, like they were trying to petrify me. I had goosebumps the entire time I was there, but I was not in a hurry to get out of that holy place; in fact, I was the last person in our tour group who returned to our bus.

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

How to get to Sedlec Ossuary. It’s an hour’s drive by car from Prague – and the best way to get there is by joining a half-day tour to Kutna Hora. Every hotel and hostel in Prague advertises this tour, and they can also book this for you.

Now, you might wonder why Sedlec Ossuary is decorated with 40,000 bones on earth! It actually has a fascinating story. Read on…

Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside!

The Sedlec Ossuary is a Roman Catholic Church in Kutna Hora, outside Prague.

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

It is also called “The Church of All Saints.” For tourists, they call it, “The Church of Bones.”

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

As the name suggests, the interior is elaborately decorated with human bones!

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

And yes, including baby bones!

Sedlec Ossuary - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

The most stunning feature of this chapel is the giant chandelier!

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

As you can see, it’s artistically put together with at least one of EVERY bone we have in our body.

Things to do in Prague
Things to do outside Prague

Behind the impressive chandelier is, of course, Jesus Christ on the cross.

Things to do outside Prague
Things to do outside Prague

Another work of beauty that impressed me was the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg Family.

Hotel in Kutna Hora
Things to do in Kutna Hora

Behind that are the piles of bones that must have been excavated decades or, maybe, centuries ago.

Things to do in Kotna Hora.
Things to do outside Prague.

So now, are you interested to know who, what and why somebody thought about building this?

Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

A long time ago, in 1278, an Abbot of Sedlec Monastery was dispatched by the King of Bohemia to Jerusalem.

The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside Czech Republic).
Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

When the Abbot returned, he carried a jar full of soil from Golgotha.

Things to do in Kotna Hora
Things to do in Kutna Hora.

Golgotha is a holy place just outside Jerusalem, where Christians believe where Jesus was crucified.

Sedlec Ossuary - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

When the news spread about the Abbot with a jarful of soil from the “Holy Land,” many people from various places wished Sedlec to be their resting place.

Sedlec Ossuary - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

That’s why the burial grounds had to be expanded.

Sedlec Ossuary - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

Centuries later, a Gothic church was built near the cemetery in the 15th century.

Hotels in Kutna Hora
The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

Its basement was used as an ossuary (a room where dead people’s bones are kept).

Hotel in Kutna Hora
The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).

The bones remained there until 1870, when Frantisek Rint, a skilled woodcarver, was told to arrange the bones in place.

Sedlec Ossuary - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

And, of course – he didn’t disappoint us! As you can see, he delivered!

Sedlec Ossuary Kutna Hora - The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Czech Republic).
Sedlec Ossuary – The Church With 40,000 Human Bones Inside (Kutna Hora, Czech Republic).

The chapel might look morbid to be in – but it’s actually peaceful. I think that’s because everyone respects the dead. Or maybe, they’re scared to awaken them. 😉

Related Post: City Skyline of Prague at Night

Where to Stay in Prague

Look no further – stay at RoadHouse Prague, especially when you are staying for 2 days/1 night only. It’s in downtown Prague, and you can walk to the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. Famous landmarks like the St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle, and Strahov Monastery Library are less than 2 kilometers on foot. You can book it via BookingHostelWorld, and Expedia.

KeepCalmAndWander

A wanderer. A frustrated photographer. Hiker. Lover. Half extrovert, half introvert. Solo traveler.

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