Sedlec Ossuary Project

One of the most monumental and iconic decorations created by Rint in the ossuary, is the House of Schwarzenberg coat of arms made entirely out of human bones. We do not know if its creation was ordered by Orlik of Schwarzenberg, or if Rint created it on his own to express his gratitude to his employer. Regardless, it is an impressively detailed creation, and one of the centerpieces of the ossuary. It can currently be found hanging in the lower area of the ossuary, in front of one of the pyramid of bones in the left transept. But what few people know, is that its original placement was at the entranceway above the staircase. Parts of Rint's design can still be seen above the stairs, in the form of bones and skulls hanging like drapes, which used to flank the sides of the coat of arms, and represented the princely cloak. Those who are familiar with historic coats of arms will no doubt recognize some of the symbols that Rint artistically reinterpreted out of bones. Perhaps the first...

Perhaps some of the most interesting pieces displayed at the ossuary are two monstrances that flank the altar and the statue of a crucified Jesus at the back of the room. The word "Monstrance" originated from the Latin “monstrare”, meaning “to show.” Monstrances are historically defined as liturgical vessels or chalices that display the Host, the Eucharist, or communion wafer during the sacrament, and typically have an elaborate design including a defined round center, with details representing a sunburst extending outward from it. As with everything inside the Sedlec Ossuary, these are not your usual monstrances. They are built entirely out of bones, in an extremely ornate design having a skull in the middle, surrounded with femurs, sacrum, vertebrae, and other bones that are arranged in beautiful symmetry. Note how the smaller sized bones alternate on each side of the femurs to make the traditional monstrance sunburst pattern. The ornate design continues down to the base,...