Ossuaries can be found all around the world, each with its own rich history and meanings. But what are ossuaries?
From the latin oss-, or bone, ossuaries are quite literally bone rooms. These may be rooms, or a set of rooms, which contain hundreds of human bones. In some cases, entire buildings are constructed from bone.
These bones are often arranged in peculiar and particular ways and can become places of cult or religious activities, awash in symbolic meaning.
However, not all ossuaries are created with aesthetics in mind; some may simply function as storage rooms for skeletal remains.
Since these skeletal remains were often collected after being exhumed, these ossuaries serve as what is known as a secondary burial.
As ossuaries are made up of and by groups of people, they can reflect a culture or society’s concepts of life, death, and even resurrection.
The Crypt of the Capuchin Friars
I have discussed the crypt of the Capuchin Friars in a previous article about crypts, (which can be found here), but this is the perfect time for a revisit.
In 1624, the Capuchin Cardinal, Antonio Marcello Barberini, made a request to his brother Pope Urban VII for land in Rome in order to build a church. With his brother’s approval, Barberini and his fellow monks erected the Chiesa de Santa Immacolata, or, the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
From its inception until around 1870, the skeletal remains of 4,000 Capuchin friars were brought to a crypt beneath the church.
These skeletons were not simply tucked away or placed in niches. Instead, they adorn the crypt walls. Each bone meticulously put into place to create elaborate and stunning works of 3D art.
Although we generally associate the idea of ‘Momento Mori’ and this acceptance of death with the Victorians, they are not the only ones with this perspective on death. I ngrained within the Capuchin friar’s religion was a deep respect and understanding of mortality. This perspective is evident from the symbology and the words used by the Capuchin Friars in their art.
When one enters the crypt they are met by a plaque placed above the entrance which reads “we were what you are, we are what you will be.” So from the very moment one steps foot into the crypt, they are confronted with mortality.
The Capuchin Friars, however, were not the only ones to use human skeletal remains to decorate their place of worship.
Sedlec Ossuary
Within the Czech Republic lies the city of Kutna Hora, home of, what has become known as, the Gothic church.
Just as with the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in Rome, located within the Gothic church is a crypt adorn with skeletal remains. Unlike with the Capuchin Friars, however, many of these bones have been bleached and carved in order to be used for art.
In the 13th century Henry, an abbot, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, bringing back with him sacred soil. This soil was spread across the church cemetery, this made the cemetery a sought after place to be buried.
In the 14th century, 30,000 plague victims were buried in the church’s cemetery. Followed by an additional 10,000 during the Crusades.
The amount of individuals buried in the graveyard inspire the notion of building an ossuary. Initially, the bones were merely stacked in pyramids by a ‘half-blind’ monk. This is how they remained for over 300 years.
In 1870, the church hired Francis Rint, a local woodcarver, to adorn the crypt with the bones.
Today, the Kunta Hora Bone Chapel is a World UNESCO site.
Ossuaries are not only centered on religion, however. Politics can also play a role in how and why ossuaries are constructed.
Redipuglia
Terracing up a hill sits the Redipuglia, the largest ossuary in Italy.
During the Second World War, 60,000 Italian soldiers died in battle across a small region spanning Trentino, Friuli, and Vento, these soldiers were buried in ‘makeshift’ cemeteries along the battlefields (Malone, 2017). In 1927, the Fascist authorities declared the cemeteries to be unsatisfactory and initiated the ossuary campaign.
In 1935, architects Giovanni Greppi and Giannino Castiglioni came together to build the Redipuglia ossuary. The ossuary acts as a war memorial, housing the remains of over 100,000 Italian soldiers, 60,000 of which are unknown. Those whose identities remained intact are housed within niches with their names displayed. The unknowns were collectively placed within a crypt at the top of the war monument.
Redipuglia is one of several ossuaries put in place by the Fascist leaders of Italy, all built with the purpose of politicizing the dead and creating an ideal narrative after WWI. This politicization is evident at Redipugalia. As stated previously, Redipuglia terraces down a hillside, in order to reach the top one must climb stairs set into the memorial. The soldiers’ remains are organized top down according to rank, with the command towards the top. And in true fascist form, the commanders died peacefully in Italy and not on the battlefield.
Just as the placement of remains was deliberate, as too was the placement of the ossuaries themselves. All of the ossuaries constructed under the Fascist regime were built in close proximity to battlefields that were previously under Autro-Hungarian rule but were annexed by Italy. The makeshift cemeteries that were originally built along battle lines were destroyed as “the demolition of existing military cemeteries and the repression of local initiatives” (Malone, 2017).
These ossuaries became integral to the Fascist propaganda, as they “reflected efforts to manipulate the memory of the First World War, to shape Italian culture and identity, and to promote ideals of sacrifice, heroism and martyrdom” (Malone, 2017). Part of this propaganda was the erasure of personal identities and titles. No longer were these men brothers, fathers, and sons, they were cemented as soldiers, “individual memories and the capacity for private mourning were largely suppressed in favor of meanings that suggested the unity of the state, its power over the individual, and visions for a cohesive society” (Malone, 2017).
Not all ossuaries are confined to buildings.
Coffin Ossuaries of the Benuaq Dayak
Around the world, there exist many ossuaries. All with their own styles and symbolic meanings.
The Benuaq Dayak comprise four longhouse communities along the Ohong River, located in East Kalimantan of Indonesia.
A part of the Benuaq Dayak’s funeral rites is a secondary burial where the skeletal remains of family members are placed into wooden ‘coffin-like’ containers. These containers may be raised by a single post, tempelaaq, or two posts, kelerekng; with the kelerekng being the most popular.
Not all families can afford this style of internment, however, and each container may hold the remains of more than one family member.
Each container is elaborately decorated with colorful carvings and spirits to protect and guide.
Although there has been much energy expended in the construction of these containers, they often go without maintenance.
Those who can afford it may have a tempelaaq or kelerekng constructed from ironwood.
Ossuaries can be found throughout the world, many having rich symbolic and cultural meanings. If you so desire you can even visit many of them, seeing their elaborate design for yourself.
Although many of these sites have been called ‘haunting’ or ‘macabre,’ they are not meant to be frightening. These places are often meant to symbolize a culture’s perceptions of death and life, and may even be intended to comfort one as they confront mortality.
References
Malone, Hannah (2017). Fascist Italy’s Ossuaries of the First World War: Objects or Symbols? RIHA Journal (0166, 27).
Tradii, Laura (n.d). Ossuaries: Death, Resurrection and the living.
Zahorka, Herwig (n.d). “The Raised Coffin-Like Ossuaries of the Benuaq Dayak of East Kalimantan.” Borneo Research Bulletin, 47.
