In 1870, the Schwarzenberg family, who had acquired the former monastery properties at Sedlec, faced a practical problem. The ossuary beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints was a disordered mess. The half-blind monk's pyramids had partially collapsed over the centuries. Bones spilled across the floor. Visitors, drawn by the macabre reputation of the place, complained of the chaos. Something had to be done.
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Riddles of the Past·1/1·1′
The place
Sedlec Ossuary / Bone Church
Frantisek Rint's Art of Death
The woodcarver who signed his masterpiece in human bone
1870Sedlec Ossuary / Bone Church
Moral of the Story
“Art made from death asks the ultimate question: what becomes of us when we are gone, and who has the right to decide?”
Characters
F
Frantisek RintT
The Schwarzenberg familyF
Forty thousand anonymous deadSource
Schwarzenberg family records; Rint biographical research; ossuary restoration documentation