Inside the Bone Church: Chilling tourist attraction which is decorated with the skeletons of 70,000 plague victims

  • Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic features an artful collection of dismembered and bleached human remains
  • The chilling building lies beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints, and contains mainly 1318 plague victims
  • Local woodcarver František Rint was given the job of bleaching and arranging the remains 

By Becky Pemberton For Mailonline

Published: 01:46 EST, 9 July 2015 | Updated: 04:27 EST, 9 July 2015

It's a real-life chapel that looks like the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

The spine-tingling Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic is estimated to hold the remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, many of whom died in the plague in 1318 and during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century. 

Known as the 'Skull Church,' the macabre building contains bodies that have been dismembered, de-fleshed and reassembled into decorative features including a bone chandelier and chalices and even a family crest constructed from human remains.

Scroll down for video 

The spine-tingling Sedlec Ossuary is estimated to hold the remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, many of whom died in the plague in 1318 and during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century

The spine-tingling Sedlec Ossuary is estimated to hold the remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, many of whom died in the plague in 1318 and during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century

Known as the 'Skull Church,' the macabre building contains bodies that have been dismembered, de-fleshed, and reassembled into decorative features including a bone chandelier, bone chalices and a family crest constructed from human remains

Known as the 'Skull Church,' the macabre building contains bodies that have been dismembered, de-fleshed, and reassembled into decorative features including a bone chandelier, bone chalices and a family crest constructed from human remains

Visitors look at the coat-of-arms of the Schwarzenberg noble family at the Sedlec Ossuary chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, suburb of Kutna Hora, Czech Republic on January 4, 2014. The ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people and the current arrangement of bones dates from 1870. AFP PHOTO / MICHAL CIZEK (Photo credit should read MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images)
No attention to detail has been spared with creative arrangements, and constructed chandeliers being the focus point of the attraction

Intriguing: Visitors look at the coat-of-arms of the Schwarzenberg noble family at the Sedlec Ossuary chapel (right) 

Situated under the Cemetery Church of All Saints it features skull bunting artfully draped between beams, two large chalices, four baroque candelabras, six pyramids and candleholders - all made with bone. 

The centrepiece chandelier comprises of almost every bone in a human body, including seven arms formed from vertebrae, with candle-mounted skulls. 

The unusual design is said to represent a seven-headed beast, reminiscent of prophecies from the Book of Revelation in the Bible.  

Unsurprisingly, the 'Skull Church' has a history as chilling as its unconventional decoration. 

The skeletons are said to have originally been buried at the church cemetery, which was shut at the end of the 15th century. 

Following this, the dug-up bones were moved to the chapel and positioned in pyramids.

In 1870, local wood carver František Rint of Česká Skalice was tasked with the job of artfully arranging the bones and skulls into creative decorations. 

In order to create a uniform look for his chilling building blocks, each skull was carefully bleached until it reached the desired colour. 

Situated under the Cemetery Church of All Saints, no detail has been spared to the chamber, with skull bunting artfully draped between beams
Situated under the Cemetery Church of All Saints, no detail has been spared to the chamber, with skull bunting artfully draped between beams

Every nook and cranny in the church contains skulls in various forms, including skull bunting artfully draped between beams

Not for the faint-hearted, the ossuary features two large chalices, four baroque candelabras, six pyramids and candleholders - all made with bone

Not for the faint-hearted, the ossuary features two large chalices, four baroque candelabras, six pyramids and candleholders - all made with bone

 While it may seem like a bizarre concept, Sedlec Ossuary is not the only bone chapel in existence.  

The Brno Ossuary has an even larger collection with a confirmed total of 50,000 human remains. 

This is the largest supply after the Paris Catacombs. 

The skeletons are said to have originally been buried at the church cemetery, which was shut at the end of the 15th century

The skeletons are said to have originally been buried at the church cemetery, which was shut at the end of the 15th century

In 1870, local wood carver František Rint of Česká Skalice was tasked with the job of artfully arranging the bones and skulls into creative decorations

In 1870, local wood carver František Rint of Česká Skalice was tasked with the job of artfully arranging the bones and skulls into creative decorations

In order to create a uniform look for his chilling building blocks, each skull was carefully bleached until it reached the desired colour

In order to create a uniform look for his chilling building blocks, each skull was carefully bleached until it reached the desired colour

The chilling location lies beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints featuring many 1318 plague victims

The chilling location lies beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints featuring many 1318 plague victims

The chilling location is set beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints featuring many 1318 plague victims
A Baroque period bone-chandelier in the Sedlec Ossuary, a small Chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec 

A Baroque period bone-chandelier (right) in the Sedlec Ossuary, a small Chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec

The ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people and the current arrangement of bones dates from 1870

The ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people and the current arrangement of bones dates from 1870

Kutna Hora, CZECH REPUBLIC: The picture shows a detail of one of the 4 Gothic pinnacles in the Sedlec Ossuary, a small Chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora, about 75 Km east of Prague, 14 January, 2007. Although the ossuary dates back to the 14th century, its current decoration is made of some 40,000 human remains from the 18th century. AFP PHOTO / MICHAL CIZEK (Photo credit should read MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images)
Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic features an artful collection of dismembered and bleached human remains

Pictured left is one of the four Gothic pinnacles in the Sedlec Ossuary and right, coin-offerings resting on one of the four-bone pyramids

Comments (74)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now