Architecture of Mortality
Located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, Kutná Hora, the Sedlec Ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people. These skeletal remains have been artfully arranged to form furnishings, chalices, large bell-shaped mounds, and a massive bone chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling.
In 1278, the Abbot of the Sedlec Cistercian Monastery was sent to Jerusalem by King Otakar II of Bohemia. He returned with a jar of earth taken from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the abbey cemetery. This act turned the cemetery into a holy burial ground desired by nobles and peasants across Central Europe.
Skeletal Artistry Highlights
- Master Woodcarver: In 1870, František Rint was hired by the Schwarzenberg noble family to organize the vast piles of unburied bones.
- Bone Chandelier: Contains at least one specimen of every single bone found in the adult human body.
- Coat of Arms: A complete coat of arms of the House of Schwarzenberg crafted entirely out of human remains.
Historical Context
The Black Death plague during the 14th century and the Hussite Wars in the 15th century added thousands of corpses to the cemetery ground. When space ran out, older graves were exhumed and stacked in the chapel basement, laying the groundwork for Rint's morbid artistic undertaking centuries later.
Visit Official Sedlec Ossuary Portal ↗