Sedlac Ossuary is one of the most incredible and fascinating places on earth. Located in the small town of Kutna Hora in the hills surrounding Prague, just about an hours drive outside the city you will find a stunning display of morbid artistry.
The abbey and cemetery were first built in 1142. The church was constructed in the 1300s. The church was being expanded in 1511 when the builders stumbled upon a mass grave site around the church with between 40,000-70,000 bodies. They had no idea where or when all these bodies had come from, so they turned the task of sorting and stacking the bones over to a single nearly blind monk. He got a little (a lot) carried away and started stacking them in these crazy intricate piles and designs, as a means to show respect ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ … no one knows for sure.
When they came back to check on the monk a couple of years later and he had basically spent the entire time decorating the church with human bones, claiming that the work had performed the miracle of bringing his vision back. Due to this supposed miracle, they decided the spirits liked having the bones decorate the church.
Over the years there’s been some additions to the bone decor, most recently in 1870 when the Schwarzenberg family (Czech Royalty) hired a wood carpenter, named František Rint, to redo the chandelier and add a couple elements of his own.
The chandelier contains at least one of every single bone in the human body. The church claims that the original monk scrawled the words “Remember Death” in the church, which they say is associated with the Christian hope of resurrection. They claim that the decorations symbolize the equality of people in front of the throne of God.
After years of mystery, it is now believed that the huge mass grave is from the 1200s, a time when the Bohemian Monarch sent one of the abbey’s monks to Jerusalem. This monk is supposed to have brought back Holy Soil from Jerusalem which he spread over the cemetery. After learning of this, people from all over the surrounding area wanted to be buried beneath the Holy Soil of Kutna Hora. The Black Death provided ample bodies, more than the cemetery could handle, in fact, so they ended up piling the bodies into mass graves.
Due to the morbid nature of the displays at Kutna Hora many visitors flock to the church every year and a lot of them are not respectful of the fact that these are real human bones. Inappropriate and disrespectful selfies started to flood the internet. The church considered closing the site to visitors all together, but eventually decided to ban photography unless you receive proper permission before your visit. If you’d like to take photos at the Ossuary, and you most certainly do, you’ll need to visit the Ossuary’s website and fill out forms beforehand in order to obtain prior permission. The forms are easy. You just have to provide your name and address and tell them what you plan to do with the photos you take. Approval is almost guaranteed as long as you follow their procedures. On arrival you will provide the ticket counter with your photography approval letter that they will email to you and they will provide you with a “Photographer” lanyard. If you don’t apply for prior approval they are very strict in keeping you from taking photos.
