This is my guide to visiting the Chapel of Bones Evora,(the Capela dos Ossos) one of the most unusual things to see in Portugal.
It’s a chapel decorated entirely with human bones, including skulls, tibias and femurs. It’s attached to the much more cheery Church of São Francisco in the historic heart of Evora.
The city is one of the most compelling places to visit in Portugal, with prehistoric, Roman, Moorish and Portuguese pasts to discover.
Yet when we visited the only time we encountered any sort of crowd was in the Chapel of Bones. Death always exerts a strong fascination, and here it’s staring you in the face, 5,000 times over.
The Capela dos Ossos Evora was begun in the 16th century. The burial grounds of the city were full to capacity, and there was nowhere to expand.
The solution? Exhuming the bones of the dead and storing them together in one place.
The bones in the Capela also served another purpose. The Church’s most powerful message is that life is brief and transitory, that all humans will meet the same fate.
So, a monumental stack of thousands of bones was ideal for conveying this memento mori.
You could call it killing two birds with one, erm, bone. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
What to See at the Chapel of Bones ?
In a word, bones. The bones seem to form the very fabric of the building, but they’re actually aided by cement. They cover the walls and pillars of the chapel, and are also used to decorate the ceiling vault.
The inscription above the Chapel of Bones entrance translates as, ”Our bones await your bones.”
A poem also hangs on one of the pillars of the church. The first stanza asks, ”Where are you going in such a hurry, traveller? Stop…..You have no greater concern than this one.”
Nobody would have known that they were going to end up on display into the 21st century. The likelihood is that they were people from the Evora area, most likely a cross-section of society.
The two things they all had in common were that they were dead and there wasn’t enough space for them in the ground.
However, it gets even more macabre: two desiccated corpses dangle from the ceiling, the ultimate indignity.
One of them is significantly smaller than the other, so it’s likely that one is a child. I could see that they were trying to convey the message that all things temporal are temporary, but this is just gruesomely bad taste.
What happened to the Chapel Builders ?
They indeed went the way of all flesh, but not the way of the 5,000 or so in the chapel.
It was fine for them to line the walls and roof of the chapel, but the three monks did not donate their bones to the ossuary upon their demise.
They chose to lie in a white coffin in the chapel instead.
Is This The Only Bone Church In Portugal ?
No, however it is the best-known example in the country.
There is also a Capela dos Ossos in Faro, the Algarve capital, adjacent to the Carmelite Church (Igreja do Carmo).
There is also another ossuary in the Alentejo region, at Campo Maior, near the border town of Elvas.
Are There Other Ossuaries in Europe ?
Yes, indeed they are. And at some of them you’ll see more than just bones.
The Catacombs of Paris are believed to contain the bones of over six million people. This is a vast underground network of tunnels, and you visit a small section (1.5 km, or 0.9 mile).
The Kutná Hora Bone Church, or Sedlec Ossuary, is in a chapel in the Czech town of Kutná Hora. The bones of at least 40,000 people are held there.
The decorations are more imaginative and elaborate than those at Evora, and include a chandelier made out of bones.
There are also other ossuaries in the Czech Republic, including one in the Bohemian town of Mělník and the largest in the country, the Brno Ossuary, in the Moravian capital.
Several Capuchin convents in Italy host the dead in crypts. One of the best known is the Convento dei Cappuccini in Palermo, Sicily. Here, bodies are propped up standing in their niches, dressed in all their finery.
They were all embalmed, although the success of the process varies greatly! The result is a series of macabre grotesque figures stuck in their bizarre poses for eternity.
How to Visit the Chapel of Bones Evora
The Chapel of Bones in Evora is located in the precincts of Sao Francisco Church on Praça 1 de Maio in Evora.
Opening Times of The Chapel of Bones
Open every day except: January 1st; Easter Sunday; December 24 in the afternoon; December 25
SCHEDULES CHANGE ON THE DAY OF THE LEGAL TIME CHANGE
- Summer from 9:00 am to 6:30 pm (last entry)
- Winter from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (last entry)
Eucharists
- Mondays to Saturdays at 11:30
- Sundays at 09:00 and 12:00
How Much Does it Cost To Visit The Chapel of Bones
Unique ticket to visit the Chapel of Bones, the Museum Center and the Nativity Collection
- 5,00€ ADULT
- 3,50€ YOUNG up to 25
- 3,50€ SENIOR over 65
- 12,50€ FAMILY 2 adults + young
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.