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Friday 9 November 2012

Ossuary

I just got back from a few days in Prague (a birthday treat) and I'm not going to bore you with lots of pics but just had to share this place......it was weird even for me!!!!!

Inside this quite innocent looking chapel on the outskirts of KUTNA HORA (a town about an hour or so drive from Prague) is the 
 
 
 The ossuary is thought to contain the bones from 40-70,000 people.....most of which have been arranged to form decorations for the chapel!


 The decorations include a chandelier..................

four large mounds or pyramids......


 these candle holder thingies......


 and this coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family.......

 a detail of the coat of arms........

 An interesting if slightly strange experience!

16 comments:

Nigel said...

"An interesting if slightly strange experience!"

Only you could think of it as 'slightly' strange ;)

It looks like a fascinating place :)

Artyjen said...

Ooh er Mrs!!! LOL
Fascinating
xoxo Sioux

Sarah said...

the main reason I want to go to Prague :)

Sarah said...

PS the last postcard I sent on the mail art trail featured the Sedlec chandelier - if Jean ever posts a pic of it up on Collabor-ART you'll see it. I can't wait to see it in person! Have you done the Paris catacombs? similar. And equally awesome.

Carol Q said...

crikey Sue, that must have been right up your street. what a really strange place.

Burnice said...

If you thought that was strange what the hell do you think I think of it!!!! I do like the cross in the second picture tho - from a distance, cos I can't really see what it is made of!!!!
Burn

Helen said...

Oh my..... very macabre, but strangely fascinating....

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Ooh very strange indeed but like you say very fascinating too. I can see you making a chandelier from skulls next year for Halloween or even a coat or arms lol. Hope you enjoyed your birthday. Tracy x x

bockel24 said...

not boring at all! I always love your travel posts, but this one is really special and like that place was made for you ;-)

lmp said...

Fascinating.

Unknown said...

Wow that is amazing! I never thought such a place existed .... I would like to read more about that ... It's strange in our culture, but obviously quite normal in another one.

And - Happy Birthday!!!!

~*~Patty S said...

WOW kind of leaves me speechless and intrigued and more!

Really captivating
and
personally I would really enjoy seeing photos from your Prague getaway, it's a place I hope to visit someday...

Hope you had a very Happy Birthday Sue
oxo

Sarah Anderson said...

I only managed a couple of minutes in that building - way too uncomfortable for me! Glad you had a great time though
Happy Birthday!

Words and Pictures said...

Love a good ossuary - thank you for sharing!
Alison x

funkycrafter said...

great place. would love to see it.
when in Rome check out the Capuchin Crypt at Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, smaller place and fewer bones but seems more eerie underground.

Cestina said...

Good heavens. I live in the Czech Republic for part of each year but am in South Bohemia so have never made it to Kutna Hora. I had no idea it was anything other than an ossuary such as we have in Putim, just a hole in the ground with many bones.

This is amazing and I might actually manage to get myself there some day.