Otranto, Italy
Ossuary Chapel of the Cathedral of Otranto
A 1,000-year-old church holds the bones of the Christian martyrs who died hiding inside it.
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Otranto, Italy
A 1,000-year-old church holds the bones of the Christian martyrs who died hiding inside it.
Venice, Italy
Venice's island of the dead.
Naples, Italy
Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.
Ferentillo, Italy
Naturally preserved bodies are eerily staged throughout the crypt in varying poses.
Novara, Italy
This Italian pyramid is said to hold the mingled remains of the dead from both sides of the Battle of Novara.
Marville, France
The remains of 40,000 humans, meticulously stacked in a tiny churchyard shed.
Wamba, Spain
One of the largest ossuaries in Spain is packed from floor to ceiling with bones.
Hythe, England
A house of bones — but nobody is quite sure to whom they belong.
Křtiny, Czechia
Mysterious painted skulls in Moravia.
Oppenheim, Germany
This German bone house contains the remains of some 20,000 souls.
Fleury-devant-Douaumont, France
This modern French ossuary contains the jumbled bones of 130,000 WWI soldiers.
Lima, Peru
The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.
Brno, Czechia
Europe's second largest ossuary wasn't discovered until 2001.
Neustadt an der Donau, Germany
The name doubles as an appropriate adjective for this small ossuary.
Flintsbach am Inn, Germany
A rare example of a German cemetery with traditional grave markers dating back several generations.
Rott am Inn, Germany
These jeweled relics have a scandalous and contested past.
Klatovy, Czechia
These 17th-century mummies are no longer naturally preserved, but remain on display today.
Cham, Germany
In 1830, cemetery workers in Cham unearthed a chamber housing thousands of skeletal remains from the 13th century, which can still be viewed today.
Putim, Czechia
The mystery of the Putim Ossuary involves a tricorn hat.
Hallstatt, Austria
An Austrian house of bones filled with hundreds of intricately painted skulls.
Salzburg, Austria
Terrifically morbid cemetary and site of famous Paracelsus' grave.
Gemeinde Sankt Florian, Austria
The personal charnel house of Anton Bruckner.
Dingolfing, Germany
In a small churchyard in Dingolfing, Germany the quaint Schusterkapelle is there to remind you of your imminent mortality.
Eggenburg, Austria
Artfully arranged bones of 5,800 Austrians.