Fresh Eyes

Architecturally Speaking / June 22, 2019

Reactions in this place were priceless. Faces, young and old, tilted their gaze upward to absorb the distinct scene before them. Sedlec Ossuary is a small Roman Catholic chapel located in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic. It’s interior is composed of the skeletons of tens of thousands; the remains taking on the form of chandeliers, wall decor, and other forms of furnishings. 

The legend we were told in explanation for this architectural mark made everything a bit more comprehensible. Supposedly, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, went to the Holy Land, took soil from Golgotha, and brought it back here, thus making this “holy ground”. Word of his sprinkling over the cemetery spread quickly and Christians from all over wanted to be buried here.

Some visitors immediately recognized the decoration and near glorification of the bones to be quite revolting, but our teacher reminded us that the human body was viewed in an entirely different way during the 14th and 15th centuries. Keeping this in mind during our time in Kutná Hora was helpful and made me appreciate the mindset that came before my own. Preserving and celebrating history is done in an entirely different manner now. I think that viewing this from the perspective of the church as a reminder of the promise of life after death makes commemoration that much sweeter.