Lovely Bones: Visiting the Sedlec Ossuary (Church of Bones)

Availing himself of the loose bones lying around, Santini-Aichl built six gigantic pyramids and topped them with elaborate gold crowns. In 1870 the Schwarzenberg family of Orik, who purchased the property in 1783 after the Sedlec monastery was demolished, hired woodcarver František Rint to complete what his predecessor started.

Rint, as it turned out, had quite an imagination. After bleaching all the bones to make their colour uniform, he created the ossuary’s dramatic chandelier and the Schwarzenberg coat of arms, which includes a raven pecking at a Turkish soldier’s severed head. Even his artist’s signature, which he applied to the wall, is made entirely of bone.

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Today, the Sedlec Ossuary is one of the most-visited places in the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors every year. Walking through the “Church of Bones,” it’s impossible to not be chilled and fascinated. Fragments of human skeletons are everywhere, styled into jaw-dropping formations. In addition to the showpiece chandelier and coat of arms, the dearly departed have been used to create crucifixes, candelabras, and even elaborate garlands over entranceways.