Ossuaries are facilities for storing human bones and are used in several world religions. They range from simple wooden boxes to complex underground crypts and can include architectural features made from bone. Exhumation and burial in an ossuary have been practiced for thousands of years, with many customs accompanying the process. Some religions, such as Islam, do not practice exhumation. Famous ossuaries include Sedlec and the James Ossuary (which was found to be a fake).
An ossuary, also known as a bone house, is a facility for storing human bones. Ossuaries can range from complex underground crypts to simple wooden boxes. They play a vital role in several world religions which practice the exhumation of bodies after burial. Many countries have ossuaries for people to visit, some of which include architectural features made from bone including chandeliers, wall decorations and floors. Most ossuaries contain individual boxes of human bones, also called ossuaries.
While the idea of an ossuary makes some individuals squeamish, ossuaries have been a part of human life for thousands of years. Some early humans dug up and moved their dead after a set amount of time had passed. Some cultures carried their dead with them in portable ossuaries or slings, because they believed this would make the spirits of the dead more accessible. The construction of solid crypt-like ossuaries has been carried on for centuries, with several fine examples scattered throughout Europe.
Exhumation is most common in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where bodies are exhumed several years after burial so that the bones can be moved to an ossuary. Many customs accompany the exhumation, varying by area. A common tradition is that an individual’s moral rectitude can be determined by the condition of the body. In the Catholic Church, an ossuary is used to house the relics of saints, and many deeply religious people make pilgrimages to the site of ossuaries so they can look at the remains of saints and other individuals sacred to the church. The Zoroastrian religion also incorporated the use of ossuaries for skeletonized bone, by throwing the bones into a large pit.
The custom of exhumation and burial in an ossuary was also part of the Jewish tradition, due to the limited space of the cemetery. Some religions, such as Islam, have never had a tradition of exhumation and the practice is forbidden to Muslims. Many ancient cultures have artifacts of human bones, suggesting that the exhumation of skeletal bodies was commonplace.
A famous ossuary in the world is Sedlec, which incorporates over 40,000 human skeletons in the total construction. Another famous ossuary is the James Ossuary, a small box believed to belong to the brother of Jesus. After extensive scientific scrutiny, the ossuary was found to be a fake.
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