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| Schwarzenberg Coat of Arms |
When I did the long hike outside of Prague to the Church of Bones I was really excited. Apart from having no signs, handwritten directions that looked like it was written with someone's left foot. No one spoke a word of english, not that I ever I expect anyone to when I am travelling. This just meant I had to sign the whole way there. Try signing "which platform do I change to go to Kutna Hora?", yes very funny. Especially for the Czechs. Obstacles aside, I managed and found my way there on this dinky, rickety, pre-historic train that literally had a poop shoot for a toilet. I didn't get it and nor did I really towards the end. It was like every moment was a fight up sh*t creek with just a paddle.
Finally I made it there and arriving there made the epic journey all worthwhile. I paid my admission and made my way inside and suddenly I felt really sick when I was greeted with the Schwazenberg's coat of arms, pictured above. If I could capture the experience in a series of adjectives. I went from feeling excited to sick. Sick to acceptance. Acceptance to morbid. I was transfixed by thousands of human bones, harmoniously organised in a collective and decorative manner. But then I got just plain over it and started to get snap happy, which meant I felt guilty!
Why?
Long story short as I am not one for the detail. Note: this is a very loose account. Way back when, a man went back to Jerusalem collected some dirt from the Holy Land as a keep sake, brought it back and sprinkled the holy soil over this cemetery. Due to this pious act, this cemetery became a hot spot throughout Central Europe to be buried at. During the plague people would haul themselves at their last waking moment to this cemetery. Then they would die. Relatives would also drag their dying loved ones here so that they could die and be buried here too. This influx of bones resulted in a half blind monk re-stacking these bones into 6 human pyramids to make room for more and later a wealthy family, commissioned a wood carver to re-build what you see today, the eery formation, the Church of Bones.
These bones made me feel a bit morbid. Like "Is this what I have to look forward to?", "Is that how we all wind up the in the end?". It was just all a bit too much. But nevertheless, well worth the feelings of sick, morbidness and guilt.
Fun Facts:
- The giant human pyramids are placed on top of each other without being bound together.
- Despite appearances, this is a deeply religious place.
- The skulls of warriors in the Hussite wars are showcased here.
- The chandelier of bones (centerpiece) contains every bone in the human body.
Welcome to the Church of Bones.
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| Human Chandlier |
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| Human Pyramid |
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| Human Pyramid up close |
