Bones Chapel in Evora, Sao Francisco Church

Bones Chapel in Evora always comes to mind when you think of this city. Because it is scary or simply because it is one more of its great monuments. They are all spectacular. That’s why Evora is a World Heritage site according to UNESCO. But some are more fascinating than others!

Bones Chapel is one of the most popular monuments in Evora. We can even say it is one of its trade marks. Located on 1º de maio square, it is part of the also popular St Francis Church (Igreja de São Francisco).

Bones Chapel in Evora – History

The chapel was built in the 17th century on the initiative of three Franciscan friars. Their goal: to convey the message of temporariness and fragility of human life. This message clearly comes across to visitors of Bones Chapel right at its entrance through the sign “We bones that are here, for yours we wait”. In fact, it shows Baroque’s men macabre taste for necrophilia.

The chapel lies on the site where initially the monks’ dorm and reflecting room were. It has three naves of about 61.3ft long and 33ft across (18.7m x 11m). Natural light strategically comes in the naves through three small gaps on the left side. It is a very dark place! Be brave…

Bones and human skulls carefully spread and connected with cement cover the walls in Bones Chapel and its eight pillars. Bricks plastered in white and painted with motives symbolising or referring to death build up the domes. Other than the bones themselves, religious statues and paintings in Renaissance and Baroque styles also decorate Bones Chapel.

Rows of skulls, cornices and white naves ornament the arcades. In total, there are around 5000 human skulls in Bones Chapel, among numerous bones. They all came from graves in the convent church and from other churches and cemeteries in Evora.

In the 16th century there were almost 42 monastic cemeteries in the city, which occupied too much space. As a solution, monks extracted bones from the ground and used them to build and “decorate” this chapel.

The Chapel of Bones is a monument of penitential architecture. It is dedicated to Senhor dos Passos, a character representing quite impressively the suffering of Christ in his walk towards Calvary with the cross on his back.

Yes, it is true that a chapel of bones can be a sinister sight. You can even think that it is impossible that such place exists. But it does! And… It makes no sense to visit Evora without seeing Bones Chapel. It is a an experience from another world worth living and sharing with others.