Sedlec Ossuary

Background

The ossuary lies in the Sedlec district of Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints. Above ground is a small Gothic chapel; the real attraction is the lower ossuary, where the chandelier is said to contain every bone of the human body, alongside bone pyramids, bone garlands and the Schwarzenberg family coat of arms made of bone. In 1278, Henry, abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Sedlec, was sent to the Holy Land by King Ottokar II of Bohemia and brought back a handful of earth from Golgotha, which he scattered over the cemetery; after that it became one of the most sought-after burial grounds in Central Europe. After the Black Death in the 14th century and the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, bones piled up in the cemetery. Around 1400 a Gothic church was built in the middle of the cemetery, and its lower chapel was used as an ossuary. Around 1870, the woodcarver František Rint, employed by the Schwarzenberg family, put the bones in order and created the decorations you see today. The historic centre of Kutná Hora, together with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady at Sedlec, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.

Local customs

• Take the train from Prague to Kutná Hora, then local transport to Sedlec. See the church above ground first, then go down into the ossuary to look closely at the chandelier, the bone pyramids and the bone coat of arms
• afterwards you can visit the nearby Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady.

Travel tips

• The official site requires you to buy a ticket in advance for a specific date and time slot, either online or at the Sedlec Information Centre, and late arrivals may be refused. Time in the lower ossuary is limited
• check the official site for details. The ossuary is small and dim, currently reached by a temporary wooden staircase and not wheelchair accessible, so mind the steps
• summer and holidays are busy, so book early.
• Trains from Prague take about an hour to Kutná Hora, then take a local bus or walk to Sedlec
• by car, drive east from Prague and follow official guidance for parking in town. The ossuary can be visited all year: spring and autumn are mild with relatively fewer visitors, while winter days are short, so plan to come in daylight.