Introduction
Crypts and ossuaries, silent witnesses of human history and spirituality, offer a fascinating journey through time and culture. These underground places, full of mystery and symbolism, tell the story of our ancestors and their beliefs about death and the afterlife. From the baroque ossuary of Sedlec to the catacombs of Paris, via the medieval crypts of Orléans, each site has its own unique character and historical importance.
These sacred spaces, often hidden under religious buildings or dug into the rock, house the remains of thousands, even millions of individuals. They bear witness not only to the funeral practices of different eras, but also to the tragic events that have marked history, such as epidemics, famines and wars. The carefully arranged bones, murals and artifacts preserved in these places offer a striking glimpse into how our ancestors honored their dead and conceived of life after death.
Sedlec Ossuary
The All Saints’ Funeral Chapel in Sedlec, with its famous Baroque ossuary, is a must-see in Kutná Hora. Built around 1400 in the middle of the cemetery of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec, this three-aisled chapel bears witness to history. It all began in 1278, when earth brought from Jerusalem was spread in the cemetery, providing a pathway to Heaven for the deceased. The ravages of the Black Death in 1348, followed by conflicts with the Hussites in the 15th century, added to the significance of the site, where nearly 40,000 anonymous remains lie, some dating back to the 13th century. Recent archaeological excavations have also revealed previously unknown mass graves, bearing witness to the tragedies of famine and plague that have marked the history of the region.
Sedlec is thus recognized as one of the largest cemeteries in Europe, its historical and spiritual dimension blending with the impressive architecture of the chapel and its ossuary. Through these carefully arranged bones, witnesses of a time when piety and the need to bury were predominant, the tormented history of this community in the Middle Ages is told. The juxtaposition of faith, death and Baroque art creates a unique and moving atmosphere, attracting visitors from all over the world.
Ossuaire de Sedlec toit (2)
muraille Ossuaire de Sedlec
Lustre d’ossement
Entrée de l’ossuaire
Ossuaire de Sedlec
Ossuaire de Sedlec
Egyptian tombs
Egyptian tombs represent a certain aspect of ancient Egyptian civilization. These funerary complexes, hidden under the desert sands, were designed to house the remains of the pharaohs and the elite of Egyptian society. They were dug into the rock, often in isolated valleys such as that of the Kings or Queens.
These tombs were decorated with detailed wall paintings, hieroglyphics, and precious funerary offerings intended to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. These burials were also equipped with traps and defense mechanisms to deter grave robbers.
Boulogne-Sur-Mer Crypt
The Boulogne-sur-Mer Crypt is a remarkable underground structure, bearing witness to the rich and eventful history of this port city in northern France. Located beneath the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, this crypt houses archaeological remains from different periods, dating back to the Middle Ages. Among the most magnificent elements are Merovingian sarcophagi, fragments of Roman mosaics, as well as architectural and funerary elements from different periods of local history.
The Boulogne-sur-Mer crypt offers visitors a dive into the region’s past, highlighting the city’s evolution over the centuries. By exploring its corridors and alcoves, visitors can discover the different layers of Boulogne-sur-Mer’s history, as well as the religious and funerary traditions that have marked the region over time.
The Catacombs of Paris
The Paris Catacombs are one of the most fascinating and mysterious sites in the French capital. These vast networks of underground galleries originally served as ancient limestone quarries. In the 18th century, faced with the overpopulation of Parisian cemeteries, the authorities decided to transfer human bones to these catacombs, thus creating an underground necropolis unique in the world.
The inspectors general of quarries who were charged with developing the Paris catacombs as a museum were Charles-Axel Guillaumot and Thiroux de Crosne. They oversaw the transformation of the former quarries into an official burial place. Millions of bones now lie in these galleries, carefully arranged to form macabre compositions.
The crypt of Père-Lachaise
The public is generally unaware that behind the Bartholomew war memorial lies an ossuary intended to collect the mortal remains from abandoned perpetual concessions (concessions whose concession deed has no end date). Following the decrees of April 25, 1924, April 18, 1931 and March 12, 1945, relating to the resumption of abandoned perpetual and centenary concessions (procedure put into effect by the law of January 3, 1924), special ossuaries were created to receive in perpetuity the remains of the bodies exhumed from these resumed concessions. On November 21, 1946, the decree was published authorizing the City of Paris to transfer to a single ossuary, to be created at Père Lachaise, the mortal remains from the resumption of these concessions abandoned in Parisian cemeteries.
When a crypt is complete, it can be sealed with a slab engraved with the names of the people buried there, and their rights to perpetual concession are thus respected. The Père Lachaise ossuary was put into service on 1 January 1953. The first reliquaries were placed there, as soon as it opened, after retrievals had been made in Montmartre and Montparnasse. Those at Père Lachaise took place from 10 January 1963.
Oppenheim Crypt, Germany
St. Catherine’s Church, whose construction began in 1225, is home to impressive and rare 14th-century stained glass windows that have managed to survive centuries and wars, but it is what lies behind the historic church that deserves special attention. In the Michaelskapelle (St. Michael’s Chapel) lies one of the largest ossuaries in Germany, housing the skeletal remains of over 20,000 Oppenheim residents who died between 1400 and 1750 CE. The honored dead ended up in the ossuary for many reasons, but it is believed that a number of them were killed due to famine and war.
Eggenberg Crypt, Austria
Located in a round underground chamber, the Eggenburg Crypt houses the remains of 5,800 people.
Although records of the site date back to 1299, the majority of the mass grave was built in 1405. The focal point is a small pile of skulls, closed by longer bones. Legs and arms form a semicircle around them.
La crypte de Saint-Avit
This crypt was discovered by chance in the middle of the 19th century. Built in the 11th century, it housed the relics of Saint-Avit.
Small in size, 9.50 meters by 6.20 meters, it consists of a chapel and a confessional, a burial vault containing the body of a martyr, on which stands an altar. The whole is divided into three small naves covered with six blind arcades. It seems that stones taken from Gallo-Roman monuments, probably in ruins, were used for the construction. The martyrium, according to tradition, is closed to the public by a wall pierced by two small windows. They allow believers to see and touch the sarcophagus housing the remains of Saint-Avit. As for the chapel itself, formed by a straight span and a semicircular apse, it now has brick vaults installed in 1852.
Restored, according to its original architecture, the Saint-Avit crypt, located under the Jeanne d’Arc college, still ensures the sustainability of Orléans’ underground past. The Tourist Office has also included it in its visit program.
The Saint-Aignan Crypt
Most religious buildings are placed under the protection of a Saint, whose relics they possess. It is to protect them from barbarian incursions, and their consequences, that the clergy undertakes to dig crypts. It is in fact a church, placed under the first, often identical in its form, which also protects the faithful in case of danger.
The Hundred Years’ War arrives and forces the people of Orleans to destroy all constructions located outside the walls, but most probably the crypt is used until 1358. A new reconstruction practically fills it at the beginning of the 16th century, and the Wars of Religion, at the end of the same century, do not improve the situation.
The Hundred Years’ War arrived and ordered the people of Orleans to destroy all buildings outside the walls, but the crypt was most likely used until 1358. A new reconstruction almost filled it in at the beginning of the 16th century, and the Wars of Religion at the end of the same century did not improve the situation.
In the middle of the 17th century, the chevet of the upper church, which was in danger of collapsing, required summary interventions in the basement. It was necessary to reinforce some pillars which then took on a cruciform appearance. As for the crypt, it nevertheless remained in a pitiful state, and the few archaeological visits carried out in the 19th century did little to reconstruct the old structure.
As is often the case in such cases, its rediscovery was almost by chance. In 1953, the French Archaeological Society expressed a desire to visit the crypt, whose existence was obviously not unknown. It then tasked Pierre Hamel with bringing some order to these places, cluttered with old objects. The man was curious, also erudite, and the vault that did not fall directly below a pillar intrigued him. He scrapes, removes a stone and finds the molding (set of moldings of an architectural work) of a capital. Continuing his work, he uncovers characters, some colored, which decorate this capital. The circles concerned then insist that the work be continued.
