Sedlec - Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Attractions Kostel Nanebevzeti Panna Marie
A gruesome sight awaits visitors to Sedlec. Not the town itself, which is a pleasant place located 3km / 2mi from Kutna Hora, but the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Kostel Nanebevzeti Panna Marie). The church is also known by its nickname the "Bone Church of Sedlec". Designed by Giovanni Santini, the church is an interesting sight on its own, but the real attraction is located across the road in the Gothic Chapel.
Here visitors will find the bones of 40,000 people who died during the Hussite war of 1421 and the onslaught of the Plague in 1380. Many of the bones show the fatal injuries from the war. In 1526 overcrowding was becoming an issue, so an unusual commission was awarded to woodcarver Frantisek Rint. He was granted permission to remove some of the bones and use them for artistic purposes.
Mr Rint arranged the bones in many curious ways including a coat of arms of the Schwarzenburg family, a functioning chandelier, bells, and chalices. The theory behind such a gruesome display was to impress upon the public the shortness of life and how important it is to live in harmony, less your bones be used in a chandelier!
Here visitors will find the bones of 40,000 people who died during the Hussite war of 1421 and the onslaught of the Plague in 1380. Many of the bones show the fatal injuries from the war. In 1526 overcrowding was becoming an issue, so an unusual commission was awarded to woodcarver Frantisek Rint. He was granted permission to remove some of the bones and use them for artistic purposes.
Mr Rint arranged the bones in many curious ways including a coat of arms of the Schwarzenburg family, a functioning chandelier, bells, and chalices. The theory behind such a gruesome display was to impress upon the public the shortness of life and how important it is to live in harmony, less your bones be used in a chandelier!
