This religious building was built from bone: skulls, femurs, tibias, humeri, clavicles and other body parts cover the walls…
Every country has its holy places and burial grounds, but some are truly out of the ordinary. We’ve already published an article on unusual cemeteries around the world, but also on spectacular places of worship, as well as on strange ossuaries and catacombs found around the globe. It’s fair to say that the chapel we’re going to present to you today combines the particularities of all three of these titles: it’s unusual, spectacular and strange!
The Capela dos Ossos is located in Portugal, in the town ofEvora. On the ceiling and walls are numerous human bones from hundreds of bodies exhumed in the 16th century. Already at that time, cemeteries were running out of space, so a solution had to be found: why not « reinvest » the bones in cement to create a religious site? The project was launched. Since then, it’s been a must-visit site that scares tourists as much as it fascinates them. The place may be spine-chilling at first glance, but it’s a one-of-a-kind experience to be had for just a few euros.
To put you right in the mood, the architects of yesteryear didn’t forget to leave you a message. At the entrance, a Portuguese phrase reads: « Our bones that are here are waiting for yours ». Makes you want to come, doesn’t it?
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Concierge.2C
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Concierge.2C
Photo credit: Flickr – Feliciano Guimarães
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Digitalsignal
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Cassiaferreira
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Concierge.2C
Photo credit: Flickr – Manuel Alende Maceira
Main photo credit: Flickr – Feliciano Guimarães