Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)

E748965

Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) is a famous 16th-century ossuary chapel in Évora, Portugal, whose interior walls and pillars are lined with thousands of human skulls and bones arranged in intricate patterns.

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Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Capela dos Ossos 2
Capela dos Ossos (Faro) 1

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Catholic chapel
ossuary chapel
tourist attraction
adjoins cloister of Igreja de São Francisco
architecturalStyle Mannerist
builtBy Franciscan monks
ceilingType barrel vault
cityHeritageStatus within Évora UNESCO World Heritage city core
constructionStart 16th century
country Portugal
culturalSignificance one of the most famous bone chapels in Europe
diocese Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Évora NERFINISHED
floorPlan rectangular chapel
hasFeature altarpiece at the end of the chapel
displayed desiccated corpses
painted religious scenes on ceiling
small windows providing dim natural light
hasInscription “Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos”
hasNearbyAttraction historic centre of Évora (UNESCO World Heritage Site) NERFINISHED
heritageDesignation Monument of Public Interest (Portugal)
inscriptionLanguage Portuguese
inscriptionMeaning “We bones that are here, for yours we wait”
interiorFeature barrel-vaulted ceiling with painted motifs
pillars covered with human skulls
walls covered with human bones
lighting low, atmospheric lighting
locatedIn Alentejo region NERFINISHED
Igreja de São Francisco (Évora) NERFINISHED
Évora NERFINISHED
Évora District NERFINISHED
materialUsed brick
human bones
human skulls
mortar
numberOfHumanRemains thousands of skeletons
partOf Church of São Francisco, Évora NERFINISHED
purpose memento mori
to reflect on the transience of life
to solve overcrowding of cemeteries
religiousAffiliation Roman Catholicism
surface form: Roman Catholic Church
similarTo Capela dos Ossos (Faro) NERFINISHED
Sedlec Ossuary NERFINISHED
sourceOfBones local cemeteries in Évora
theme Christian salvation
contemplation of death
tourism major tourist attraction in Évora
visitorAccess open to the public

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Historic Centre of Évora contains Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)
this entity surface form: Capela dos Ossos
Évora hasLandmark Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)
this entity surface form: Capela dos Ossos
Igreja do Carmo hasPart Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)
subject surface form: Igreja do Carmo (Faro)
this entity surface form: Capela dos Ossos (Faro)
Évora knownFor Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)