Chapel of Bones (31DoHM Day 29)

Day 29: Chapel of Bones

One of the creepiest places that I have ever been is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Evora, Portugal. The chapel is the creation of a 17th century monk who wanted to comment on the transitory nature of mortality … while scaring the shit out of people. The following words are engraved at the chapel’s entrance: Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos (We bones that are here, for your bones we wait). All the walls of this 200 square meter chapel,as well as its eight pillars are covered with the bones and skulls from thousands of corpses exhumed from graves (usually without consent or knowledge from anyone).

Photography by Emiana © 2003