Bones Chapel – Capela dos Ossos in Evora, Portugal
The Capela dos Ossos, also known as the Bones Chapel, is a small chapel next to the Church of St. Francis in Evora, Portugal. Built by Franciscan monks to serve as a reminder of life’s short-lived nature, the walls and pillars of the chapel are decorated with carefully arranged human bones and skulls that are held together by cement. It is estimated that bones from approximately 5,000 bodies were used to cover the walls and pillars of the chapel. The Bones Chapel also features a ceiling made of brick that is painted white with death motifs. To add to the morbidness, two dehydrated corpses, one of which is a child, dangle from a chain.