The Chapel of the Bones in Evora, Portugal

Humans have a complex relationship with death, the handling of death, of dead bodies and the meaning of it all. The Chapel of the Bones in Evora certainly reflects this complex relationship.

Funeral Rituals diversity

In Western Europe, today, we have a certain view on what a funeral ritual should look like and what is an acceptable way to handle the body of the deceased. Burial and cremation are pretty much standard.

However, through history, even in Western civilizations, funeral rituals have greatly evolved.

Note: I do not want to talk here about current funeral practices around the World, because this is not a comparative article, this isn’t about what is acceptable today based on personal believes. What is acceptable to Westerners isn’t to other cultures, and vise versa.

History of funeral rituals is however quite interesting.

A few examples of the diversity of funeral practices in history

For centuries, rituals have been created to facilitate the passage of souls from the living to the after life, let it be heaven, nothing or a new life through reincarnation.

The Egyptians had elaborated funeral rituals, which did not require a pyramid for every souls, but still included specific practices.

Ancient Greeks basically invented the cemetery as we know it, sometimes between 3000 BCE and 1200 BCE. At the time, burial caves were also often used and in addition to the deceased body, all sorts of the deceased’s possessions were included.

Fast forward a couple centuries, Vikings had graves shaped in the form of ships as well as burial mounts to commemorate the prominent members of their society.

In parts of the World, eating pieces of the dead body was a common practice. This was to obtain the strength, wisdom or knowledge of the deceased, their life force.

For some, there were most likely no burial at all. Their body was probably just left to the elements, where they had died, with no one knowing they were there.

For most, they were buried close to the family home, in what we could call a small family cemetery. For the ones living in villages or cities, they were buried in the village graveyard.

And I couldn’t give such quick examples, without pointing out to the rituals elaborated during the Victorian Era. It is quite fascinating and somehow ridiculous and yet fabulously detailed and coded. You can learn about it more than you wish to with this book. (affiliated link here).

So you see with these quick examples that funeral practices reflect their times, believes and values and are nothing short of interest.

Even in death, people have never been equals

No matter the economical background, status in society or wealth possessed, there have always been precise and define cares that were supposed to be granted to dead bodies.

Obviously though, humans have never been equals in death.

Pyramids, temples, grandiose mausoleums were for the kings, the rich and powerful. Simple tombstones or even mass graves for the poors.

Yes, I’m simplifying, but it is clear that the treatment of dead bodies and their resting places, have always been dictated by our social status and how much we can afford to pay to be remembered. At least in Western societies.

And then there are the cases of Saints! Most saints were not recognized as Saint, until centuries after their death. You can read how this turns out in this piece about the Vezelay Basilica and the power of Sainthood. Don’t get all upset if you read it! I have a thing about the fascination people have for relics…

So what about chapels of bones?

Chapels made of bones feel like anomalies in our death rituals. They are not common and yet, there are quite a few examples in Europe, like the one in Evora.

What happened there? What leads to their existence? Is it even appropriate to display bones in such a manner?

The origin of the Chapel of the Bones in Evora

Evora may seem like a very small town today, but its importance grew over centuries, since the Roman empire, as it was strategically positioned on several important routes.

By the 16th century, Evora had gain favored from Portuguese royalties and was a major city for art & humanities studies. At the time, Evora had something like 43 cemeteries in and around the city. And cemeteries do tend to take space, which has always been a valuable commodity, especially in times of expansion.

To elevate the souls of the deceased and yes, make room, the monks of Evora decided to exhume some of the Medieval cemeteries and used the bones of an estimated 5000 corpses to create the Chapel of the Bones. The chapel was built between 1460 and 1510.

It may sound incredibly weird but indeed they thought that building a chapel, next to the Church of St. Francis, would allow the souls of the deceased to be closer to God.

They also wanted to create a space where people would come and pray. Where people would reflect on the transience of material things, as no one can escape death.

The sign above the entrance says “Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos” which translate to: “We bones, are here, waiting for yours.”

The message is quite clear.

Some legends say that the bones were the ones of deceased soldiers, others that the bones are the ones of the victims of a plague and some say that the chapel is a tribute to the people who lost their lives to a deadly storm. These have however been proven wrong with time.

Quite frankly the origins of the bones do not, in my opinion, change the feelings you get when entering the chapel. It is weird & slightly scary. You will most likely feel unease.

A chapel where the walls are covered in human bones can not really leave you indifferent.

The arrangement of the bones in the Evora chapel is by no mean the weirdest that has been done. The Sedlec Ossuary and its bones chandelier is by far, in my sole opinion, more disturbing.

Yet, visiting the chapel in Evora leads to a lot of questions. Questions about your own life and mortality if you wish. But for the purpose of this article, I mostly wondered how we would feel about creating new ossuaries like this one today? Would we still display human remains like this? If you answer yes to the question, do dive into it. How would you really feel if it was your parents skeleton mixed with other that were displayed on a pillar? What about if it was your child?

The Chapel of the Bones was high on my list of things to see in Evora and still, I am shaken by what I saw.

Despite this I would highly recommend you to visit, this chapel or any others that you may have the opportunity to visit as you may indeed discover things about yourself while doing so.

Additional note

There used to be 2 skeletons hanging in the chapel. A man and child. These are now displayed in glass coffins which I was relieved to see this way.

Things to know before you go

The historical center of Evora is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an absolute must see if you ask me, for centuries of history are on display in a truly unique way.

The official website is the one of the Church of St. Francis: igrejadesaofrancisco.pt but is only available in Portuguese, at the time being at least.

The entrance ticket allows you to visit the Chapel of the Bones, the magnificent church and the museum which includes a tour in the upstair part of the church and even the roof… so worth it!!

Will show you more of Evora soon!

Pin this for later