Czech Republic - Church Of Bones
August 2003 - 5 min 45 sec
Kutna Hora
Music
19:30
COLGAN: In the part of the Czech Republic known as Bohemia, lies the legendary village of Kutna Hora. Once renowned for its riches in silver, its pretty facade hides a most macabre treasure
19:35
Music
Interior Church of All Saints
COLGAN: The Gothic, Catholic Church of All Saints in the district of Sedlec. Here, the remains of about forty thousand people grace the walls, ceilings and floors in a stunning interpretation of do-it-yourself home decorating.
Maria Jandejskova: This is a pyramid of bones made from around ten thousand people.
20:00
Maria
The bones are piled together without any construction or any support holding them together.
20:31
Woman
Woman: It is fairly bizarre but I like it - artistically it is perfect.
20:35
Interior of church
COLGAN: This ghoulish interior design dates back to 1870 and is the work of woodcarver, Frantisek Rint; he was inspired by the need to solve a dilemma -- over-crowding.
20:46
Exterior of church
The popularity of this place really took off in the Year 1278 when one of the Kings of Bohemia sent the Abbot of Sedlec, Abbot Henry on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He brought back with him a handful of earth, sprinkled it here in the cemetery and turned it into sacred ground. With that one act, Abbot Henry sparked rush hour.
21:05
Graveyard
Pilgrims literally queued for a plot. During the Black Plague in 1318 thirty thousand people were buried here. Their bones were exhumed to make way for newcomers and for centuries they piled up, until the creative woodcarver turned them into art.
21:32
Music
Maria in church
COLGAN: Local, Maria Jandejskova used to come here as a frightened child now, after 10 years as a guide, she feels right at home.
22:04
Maria
Maria: This chandelier is part of the decoration and its said to contain all the bones of the human body. If you look closely youll see the bowls under the skulls are made from pelvic bones, the extensions are made from vertebrae.
22:14
Tourist takes photo
COLGAN: It still attracts some bizarre pilgrims, day- trippers like the members of German heavy metal club The Circle of Armageddon.
22:38
Robert
Robert: We make, one day a year, we make a trip to strange places with very horrible crime. A graveyard by night for example, or an autopsy, but crime, very bloody crime.
22:48
Bone chandelier
COLGAN: Travesty or tribute depends on how you look at it. Townsfolk see it as a place of worship but detractors say the dead should rest in peace not in pieces.
2314
Woman
Woman: Thats exactly what I find slightly unethical. I would hate to one day be part of such an exhibition.
23:30
Interior of church
COLGAN: Church services were held here until just a few years ago they were stopped after irreverent voyeurs turned mass into a morbid sideshow.
23:38
Woman visitor
Woman visitor: It looks to me like a scene from a horror movie -- but it is very nice.
23:49
Aussie guy
Aussie guy: We were just told thered be bones and I guessed thered be little containers sealed away, but theyre hanging from the roof and the floors, so totally not what I expected.
23:54
English guy
English guy: Yeah I like it in a way because its different, but I dont think Ill decorate my flat in the same way.
Maria: This coat of arms is brilliantly made from small bones.
24:07
Maria
The most famous piece on it is the raven piercing the eye of a Turk, in the lower section. Its a reminder of the victory of the Schwarzenbergs against the Turks in the battle of Raab in Hungary.
24:17
Man
Man: It generates the feeling that we are here, but for a while, and then this is what remains of us.
24:32
Maria issues tickets
COLGAN: Personally, Maria treats the bones with reverence - the dead have a lesson for the living, she says.
24:43
Maria: When Im guiding tours, I remind people to be aware of the transient nature of our lives and the inevitability of death. They should value their lives fully and this place shouldnt be just a curiosity.
24:51
COLGAN: You can decide for yourself penny for your thoughts.
CHURCH OF BONES P/C
Reporter: Jill Colgan
Camera: Mark Slade
Editor: Stuart Miller
Producer: Ian Altschwager
August 2003 - 5 min 45 sec
Kutna Hora
Music
19:30
COLGAN: In the part of the Czech Republic known as Bohemia, lies the legendary village of Kutna Hora. Once renowned for its riches in silver, its pretty facade hides a most macabre treasure
19:35
Music
Interior Church of All Saints
COLGAN: The Gothic, Catholic Church of All Saints in the district of Sedlec. Here, the remains of about forty thousand people grace the walls, ceilings and floors in a stunning interpretation of do-it-yourself home decorating.
Maria Jandejskova: This is a pyramid of bones made from around ten thousand people.
20:00
Maria
The bones are piled together without any construction or any support holding them together.
20:31
Woman
Woman: It is fairly bizarre but I like it - artistically it is perfect.
20:35
Interior of church
COLGAN: This ghoulish interior design dates back to 1870 and is the work of woodcarver, Frantisek Rint; he was inspired by the need to solve a dilemma -- over-crowding.
20:46
Exterior of church
The popularity of this place really took off in the Year 1278 when one of the Kings of Bohemia sent the Abbot of Sedlec, Abbot Henry on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He brought back with him a handful of earth, sprinkled it here in the cemetery and turned it into sacred ground. With that one act, Abbot Henry sparked rush hour.
21:05
Graveyard
Pilgrims literally queued for a plot. During the Black Plague in 1318 thirty thousand people were buried here. Their bones were exhumed to make way for newcomers and for centuries they piled up, until the creative woodcarver turned them into art.
21:32
Music
Maria in church
COLGAN: Local, Maria Jandejskova used to come here as a frightened child now, after 10 years as a guide, she feels right at home.
22:04
Maria
Maria: This chandelier is part of the decoration and its said to contain all the bones of the human body. If you look closely youll see the bowls under the skulls are made from pelvic bones, the extensions are made from vertebrae.
22:14
Tourist takes photo
COLGAN: It still attracts some bizarre pilgrims, day- trippers like the members of German heavy metal club The Circle of Armageddon.
22:38
Robert
Robert: We make, one day a year, we make a trip to strange places with very horrible crime. A graveyard by night for example, or an autopsy, but crime, very bloody crime.
22:48
Bone chandelier
COLGAN: Travesty or tribute depends on how you look at it. Townsfolk see it as a place of worship but detractors say the dead should rest in peace not in pieces.
2314
Woman
Woman: Thats exactly what I find slightly unethical. I would hate to one day be part of such an exhibition.
23:30
Interior of church
COLGAN: Church services were held here until just a few years ago they were stopped after irreverent voyeurs turned mass into a morbid sideshow.
23:38
Woman visitor
Woman visitor: It looks to me like a scene from a horror movie -- but it is very nice.
23:49
Aussie guy
Aussie guy: We were just told thered be bones and I guessed thered be little containers sealed away, but theyre hanging from the roof and the floors, so totally not what I expected.
23:54
English guy
English guy: Yeah I like it in a way because its different, but I dont think Ill decorate my flat in the same way.
Maria: This coat of arms is brilliantly made from small bones.
24:07
Maria
The most famous piece on it is the raven piercing the eye of a Turk, in the lower section. Its a reminder of the victory of the Schwarzenbergs against the Turks in the battle of Raab in Hungary.
24:17
Man
Man: It generates the feeling that we are here, but for a while, and then this is what remains of us.
24:32
Maria issues tickets
COLGAN: Personally, Maria treats the bones with reverence - the dead have a lesson for the living, she says.
24:43
Maria: When Im guiding tours, I remind people to be aware of the transient nature of our lives and the inevitability of death. They should value their lives fully and this place shouldnt be just a curiosity.
24:51
COLGAN: You can decide for yourself penny for your thoughts.
CHURCH OF BONES P/C
Reporter: Jill Colgan
Camera: Mark Slade
Editor: Stuart Miller
Producer: Ian Altschwager