Hallstatt Charnel House, Austria, by Unknown (1720)

Hallstatt Charnel House, Austria, by Unknown (1720)

These images depict the ossuary in St. Michael's Chapel in Hallstatt, Austria. What is interesting about this ossuary is that over 600 painted skulls are displayed. According to Hallstatt World Heritage site (https://www.hallstatt.net/about-hallstatt/sehenswertes-en-US/catholic-church-of-hallstatt/bone-house-of-hallstatt/), the lack of burial space prompted the need to create an ossuary. Families wished to preserve the identity of their loved ones and the tradition to decorate and paint the skulls begun in 1720. Most of the skulls were decorated towards the end of the 18th century, although this tradition continued through the 19th and 20th centuries as well. Although the decoration changes throughout the centuries, there is no distinction between men's and women's skulls, as both are decorated indistinctively.

Unknown

Ossuary in St. Michael’s Chapel, Hallstatt, Austria.

Image 1:
Hallstatt World Heritage site. Hallstatt Charnel House:
https://www.hallstatt.net/about-hallstatt/sehenswertes-en-US/catholic-church-of-hallstatt/bone-house-of-hallstatt/

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200525234726/https://www.hallstatt.net/about-hallstatt/sehenswertes-en-US/catholic-church-of-hallstatt/bone-house-of-hallstatt/

Image 2:
Atlas Obscura Webpage, Hallstatt Charnel House.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hallstatt-charnel-house

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200701220520/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hallstatt-charnel-house

Image 3:
Wikimedia Commons, Wolfgang Sauber:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hallstatt_-_Beinhaus_5.jpg

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200906134516/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hallstatt_-_Beinhaus_5.jpg

Image 4:
Wikimedia Commons, Balou46
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-Hallstatt-Beinhaus-1.jpg

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200906134627/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-Hallstatt-Beinhaus-1.jpg

1720