The Bone Church. With only two days left in Prague it was a choice between Sunday or Monday as to which day we would take a day trip to Kutna Hora. We decided Sunday was the better choice giving us a just in case day if we didn’t make it.
You know, like if we couldn’t get out of bed in the morning because we were still fighting off the bug from hell that was ailing us.
Imagination Runs Wild
My spirits lifted as we stepped onto the train and discovered we had a compartment to ourselves. There’s something special about train travel. It’s not just a mode of transportation from point A to point B, it’s so much more. I like to sit back, watch the world pass by and let my imagination run wild. As we traveled through the Czech countryside I said to Abi, “We are on a train in the Czech Republic.” Sometimes, you just have to put the moment into words.
Kutna Hora
Okay, so here’s my travel tip for the day. If it’s Sunday, don’t go to Kutna Hora. We walked a good two miles from the train station to the village only to discover the entire population of the town had mysteriously vanished into the nearby fields, or, they simply do not exist on Sundays. You pick.
I saw the potential charm of the village but it was seriously depressing. We wandered a bit hoping to turn the corner and find some life, but all we found were a few smoke-filled pubs and a tiny little Kabob shop. One of the great things about traveling is coming across a tiny little Kabob shop, finding the food to be surprisingly good and discovering the owner was originally from Syria. How he found his way to Kutna Hora, I would love to know.
The Bone Church
There’s a reason travelers such as ourselves make the trip to Kutna Hora, there’s a church that beckons to the curious. It’s not just your average centuries old chapel – far from it. It’s known as the Bone Church because it is filled – and ornately decorated – with the bones of approximately 40,000 people. I know, right?!
Frantisek Rint
Way back in a far-a-way century, soil from the holy land was spread upon the land where the church now stands. Because the land was then considered to be sacred, it was thee place to be buried. After wars and plagues the cemetery outgrew its population. Many of the bodies were exhumed and placed inside the chapel.
The legend tells the tale of a monk who went a little mad and began to decorate the sanctuary with the bones. The fantastic and somewhat eerie decor seen today is the work of Frantisek Rint, who was commissioned in 1870 to decorate the chapel.
Not a Bad Way to Spend Eternity
It’s a little creepy – inside the chapel – but I thought, if my skull was one of the skulls that made up the chandelier, it’s not such a bad way to spend eternity. I suppose there are worse things.
A Peaceful Resting Place
I couldn’t help but wonder if the chapel is haunted. It certainly was bone-chilling cold inside (sorry, could help it), so cold we could see our breath, or was it our breath?! I suppose cold air is much better for the brittle bones. All in all it felt very peaceful, a resting place for the long-departed, but I would certainly not want to spend the night in the chapel to find out!
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I love that feeling when you have to say out loud, “We are in ____” because finally getting to a dream destination sometimes feels surreal. And speaking of surreal – this church is deliciously weird and seriously pulls all my macabre strings! Love the artist’s signature in bones and the chandelier. So much material to work with and so little time! Cackle, cackle! I have a vision too, of our decorator in chief stirring the bones over a huge pot of water to get them clean. So glad you referred me to this post Patti as this is sure to be a huge smash hit when we visit Prague!
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I can say with 99.9% certainty, you will not be disappointed in a trip to Kutna Hora. And, I agree… sometimes, we just stop and take in the fact of where we are in the world at that particular moment, to capture it!
Hey Guys – I’m a bit confused by this post. Did you actually make it in town? Or just to the area around the ossuary? Because really the highlight for us was the town itself (which has a lot of attractions). We actually over-nighted there and was quite nice over a weekend. The ossuary is fine but takes about 15-30 minutes to visit, but we really liked the town..
In case you missed it: http://bbqboy.net/kutna-hora-sedlec-ossuary-photo-essay-travel-tips/
Frank (bqboy)
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Hi Frank ~ We did walk into the main square of town and some of the surrounding streets. It looked as if the town had potential, but we were there on a Sunday and it was super quiet, I’d say 90% of the shops and restaurants were closed. I’m glad to know you enjoyed it!
We have heard of this. It reminds us of something out of True Detective. Seriously spooky.
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It truly is!
I have never in my life seen anything like that. I wonder if the locals are just used to it, or if it creeps them out a little bit. It’s so ornate, it’s actually quite beautiful. I wonder, did they have signs up saying, “don’t touch the bones!”
I’m guessing the locals don’t bother with it. Maybe they see it once, or take relatives/friends when they come to town. And yes, they did have signs, don’t touch the bones. It was SO tempting though! 😉
That’s freaking freaky! Looks like a unique – in the literal sense of the word – place to visit though. I’ve bookmarked this post for future reference! 🙂
Bram recently posted…‘Sunglasses and Reindeer’ Release Date
Yep. But at the same time it’s super cool and well-worth the effort if you find yourself in the area!
Wouldn’t that have been something to see that monk doing that decorating back in the day, Patti? I’ve been a believer in angels all of my life. But, that is creepy looking with the one above the skulls lol! The part about having a train cabin all to yourselves caught my attention. One thing I would like to do is take a long cross country trip in train in some of these other countries. But, I am NOT sharing a sleeper cabin with a stranger! So, I wonder if private ones even exist? I’m glad you two are doing good! 🙂
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Yes, Mike, private sleeping compartments do exist. The train we took was an older train and for some reason all of the cars had compartments, but they were not sleeping compartments, just 6 seats in each compartment. Three facing forward and three facing backward. On the way there we had a compartment to ourselves, on the way back the train was full so we shared with 4 other people. It was only a 1-hour ride, so no problem-o.
Really interesting place to visit, it’s a little macabre, but interesting non the less.
It is on the UNESCO WH List too.. Thanks for the great photos
Molly recently posted…Gardens in Granada – Spanish Fragrance and colour
I was wondering about the UNESCO, the site I was reading mentioned the cathedral in the village but not the bone church. Thanks for the insight.
Woooaaaahhh!!! That is so creepy! You’d never guess from the outside of the church! I must go back to Prague some day; the last time I was there it was best friend’s stag do– not the ideal occasion for seeing the sights!!
Cool post Patti
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Prague was amazing, we spent 7 days, there is so much to experience in the city. Definitely, you should go back.
So weird. Did you get to the Jewish graveyard in Prague. Another creepy but kinda beautiful place. There is also a little craft fair nearby.
We strolled through the old Jewish quarter but did not see the graveyard. We lost a couple of days from being sick, sadly.
Great post! I’ve been to Kutna Hora and LOVED it! One of the most fascinating day trips we took from prague lol though while I did find it fascinating I wouldn’t be hanging around there at night either 😀
Meg Jerrard recently posted…Kerry Kijewski – The Inspiring World Explorer Who Travels Blind.
Thanks Meg! The chapel and the nearby cathedral were very interesting to visit, had we known the village would be asleep on Sunday we would have gone on Monday instead, but oh well… good to hear you had a great time.
Patti, Thisis one little Czech city that is still on my list. I guess I won’t plan on going on a Sunday! Great tip!
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Yep, take a pass on Sunday. If we had thought it through, we probably would have realized it would be pretty quiet on a Sunday, but we are blaming it on our dazed sick stupor that overtook us in Prague. 😉
Okay, I wanna go, too. Amazing. The guy must have been bored out of his skull.
Ha! Ha! Sandy. Pun intended, right?!
Very strange indeed. Yet seems a better use for old bones than just lying in the ground.
Gaelyn recently posted…In and out of Joshua Tree with stops along the way
Exactly! That’s what I was thinking, not such a bad place to spend eternity!
Very intriguing, surreal and a little scary church, I am glad you made it there. Amazing chandeliers, in a way it is recycling taking to another level.
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Ha! Ha! That’s true, Gilda!