Saturday, September 20, 2008

Bone Chapel and Beyond: Capturing Kutná Hora

Yes, this odd sight is explainable!

During our time in the Czech Republic, we took a day trip from Prague to the small, quaint town of Kutná Hora which packed in the landmarks for such an unassuming place!


Bone Chapel

Don't judge a chapel by its cloisters!

At the top of the sight-seeing list (and the main reason for visiting the town) was the Sedlec Ossuary, or more simply put, the Bone Chapel! The chapel and surrounding cemetery date back to the 1300s, but the redecorated interior of bones was added in the 1700s. According to the city's website,
Remarkable masterpieces include a massive chandelier, a cross, chalices, a monstrance or Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms. According to estimates, bones of approximately 40,000 people were used to decorate the chapel, creating this unique ossuary – a reminder of the transience of human life and the inevitability of death.
Needless to say, it was a truly awesome and unique sight!

The IHS monogram of the name of Jesus name

One of several bone chalices

The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms

Chapel arches were tastefully done in skull-and-bones style

A close-up of one of the many free-standing stacks of bones

This chandelier is said to contain every bone in the human body -- and then some!

The chandelier was above several angel-topped skulled columns

Cathedral of St. Barbara


This cathedral was one of the most amazing structures we saw while in Europe!

The cathedral was designed by Peter Parler, the same man who designed the famous St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague on the banks of the Vltava River. The Cathedral of St. Barbara was constructed extremely quickly -- 150 years -- in comparison to St. Vitus (900+ years). It is the Cathedral of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners since the city was originally founded and flourished with its silver mines. The stone used was also from the mines, and the stained glass art depicts hard labor and mining scenes. There is even a Miners' Chapel.

Frankly we were more impressed by this cathedral than St. Vitus in Prague due to its massive size, plethora of gothic spires, and the view cleanly competed with the city of Prague, as it looked out over the city of Kutná Hora and surrounding lush valley.

Does this look familiar? It should! The same famous Bohemian architect, Peter Parler, designed the cathedral and the statue-laden path on the way to the church, much like his design of St. Charles' bridge on the way to St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague.

A side view of St. Barbara with the spires in all their gothic glory

The equally impressive back of the cathedral, which houses the nave

A view of Kutná Hora from the cathedral, including the view on another church in town


Plague Column

According to the city's website, the Plague Column is the "Baroque Jewel" of Kutná Hora.

The Plague Column was created between 1713 and 1715 as a reaction to plague epidemic that struck Kutná Hora in 1713 and left thousands of victims behind.
Click on the image for a better look at this Baroque jewel


Stone Fountain

According to the city's website,

The Stone Fountain was the town's burghers’ wordless tribute to water. That is to say water was always lacking in Kutná Hora, therefore bringing a rich spring through a system of wooden pipes right into the heart of the town was a creditable effort. The Stone Fountain was built in 1495. This polygonal structure that was originally decorated by a number of statues stands at a beautiful location on a small square surrounded by a splendid complex of burgher houses.

All in all, our impression of Kutná Hora was a small town that packed a big punch! We would have been satisfied with just the Bone Chapel, but we were pleasantly surprised with all the other sights that awaited us. This is not a city to miss!



2 comments:

jake said...

Really, a chapel of bones??? Wow, talk about humbling us wee little humans!

Anonymous said...

[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]

[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals

As Xrumer experts, we have been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] for the benefit of a wish fix things being what they are and remember how to harness the enormous power of Xrumer and build it into a Banknotes machine.

We also provender the cheapest prices on the market. Many competitors devise expect 2x or square 3x and a a pile of the time 5x what we charge you. But we have faith in providing gigantic accommodation at a low affordable rate. The large direct attention to of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper alternative to buying Xrumer. So we plan to keep that bit in rebuke and afford you with the cheapest censure possible.

Not just do we take the most successfully prices but our turnaround time payment your Xrumer posting is super fast. We intention pull someone's leg your posting done in the forefront you discern it.

We also provide you with a full log of successful posts on contrary forums. So that you can notice for yourself the power of Xrumer and how we have harnessed it to help your site.[/b]


[b]Search Engine Optimization

Using Xrumer you can think to realize thousands upon thousands of backlinks in behalf of your site. Tons of the forums that your Install you intent be posted on bear acute PageRank. Having your association on these sites can really expropriate build up some crown quality help links and genuinely aid your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating owing to the roof.

This is making your position more and more popular. And with this better in reputation as well as PageRank you can think to lead your place definitely filthy high-pitched in those Search Mechanism Results.
Above

The amount of conveyance that can be obtained before harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your site to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may equivalent be publishing your position to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Create 1 collection on a all the rage forum last will and testament almost always enter 1000 or so views, with say 100 of those people visiting your site. These days assume tens of thousands of posts on in demand forums all getting 1000 views each. Your shipping longing function sometimes non-standard due to the roof.

These are all targeted visitors that are interested or curious far your site. Deem how divers sales or leads you can fulfil with this titanic gang of targeted visitors. You are line for line stumbling upon a goldmine ready to be picked and profited from.

Retain, Above is Money.
[/b]

GET YOUR INFERIOR ERUPTION TODAY:


http://www.xrumer-seo.com