Trifter

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The Capela Dos Ossos is a macabre chapel built by Franciscan monks whom believed that life could change in a moment, and they urged others to share in this contemplation during prayer.

A reminder of life’s indecision is inscribed on the entrance of the chapel stating Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos (“We Bones are here, for your bones we wait”). On the white brick ceilings there are death motifs painted with Latin verses such as “I leave, but I don’t die,” “I die in the light,” and “The day that I die is better than the day that I was born.”

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Oddly, this bizarre location has an aspect to it that differs from the Catacombs, that being two corpses that are hanging from the walls in a strange fashion, one in which is a child. The identities of the two bodies have never been discovered, however it’s rumored that the adult figure is an adulterous man and his child, cursed by his wife.

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The chapel is 61.4 feet long and around 36 feet wide with three windows and eight pillars. Inside you will catch a glimpse of the human bones and skulls held together on the walls and pillars by cement.

The chapel is estimated to hold over 5000 corpses which were taken from the local cemeteries. White coffins are displayed throughout the halls; a resting place for those that constructed the chapel. However, legend suggests that the bodies that are neatly placed along the walls are victims of plague or combatants who died in battle.

Although the chapel appears to be chilling site, there was reasoning behind its construction. During the 16th century, the Franciscans prayed there and held true to the ideals of what path an individual takes in the afterlife. So to them, the outward display of death is a reminder of how fleeting life can be, especially considering at that time life expectancy was short and disease could come unexpectedly.

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As visitors exit the chapel, they will see a crucifix mounted on the wall signifying the decent of a person and how to overcome the worst of what lay ahead.

So what is the purpose and what is the reason?

Poetry is written about it, and what makes the most sense within those words is that you should not face death with concern or fright. The only way to face the demons is to be confronted out in the open, and this is what makes Capela Dos Ossos so interesting, along with the Catacombs in Paris and The Caphucin Crypt in Rome. The Resurrection of the body, everlasting life, and good and evil deeds are seen as a Christian beliefs, however death is faced by all and that is what message is conveyed within the walls of bones.

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