The Cemetery and Ossuary at Sedlec near Kutná Hora: Reflections on the Agency of the Dead

A recent archaeological excavation at the Sedlec Ossuary, located within Kutná Hora's UNESCO World Heritage Site, uncovered significant historical insights, shedding light on the complex narrative of this macabre monument. The study reveals that the ossuary's origins are intertwined with the legend of soil from the Holy Land scattered across the Cistercian monastery's cemetery, which attracted countless burials over centuries. This massive accumulation of human remains led to the establishment and multiple rearrangements of the ossuary, culminating in its current form in the 19th century. The excavation not only complemented historical records but also uncovered a rich archaeological archive, offering a deeper understanding of the ossuary's evolution. Today, the ossuary stands as a unique tourist attraction, decorated with human skeletal elements that have been the subject of numerous folk tales about their miraculous powers.

Horák, J., Weiss-Krejci, E., Frolík, J., Velímský, F., & Šmejda, L. (2022). The Cemetery and Ossuary at Sedlec near Kutná Hora: Reflections on the Agency of the Dead. Interdisciplinary Explorations of Postmortem Interaction, 269–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-03956-0_12