The Bone Chapel of Évora

During my visit to Évora, I came across the Capela dos Ossos, an eerie chapel built in the 16th century out of human bones. The Chapel’s purpose was to impress upon the visitors the transitory nature of life and the importance of living in the present moment. The interior walls and columns are adorned with skulls and femurs, and there is even a complete skeleton dangling from one corner of the chapel. The floor is a wave of black and white marble, and in the center lie tiny skulls forming a motif with bones protruding. My sensors registered that although it was a macabre sight, there was something beautiful and thought-provoking about the place. I compared it to the other architectural places like Palácio da Pena, Convent of Christ or Sintra, Portugal. This was by far very unusual. I took some pictures of the place and learned that there are similar bone chapels across Europe but this I found to be the most intricate one.