San Bernardino alle Ossa, Baroque church in Milan, Italy
Description
San Bernardino alle Ossa is a church with an ossuary in Milan, close to the cathedral in the historic center. The small chapel displays human bones and skulls arranged geometrically on the walls, rising to the vaulted ceiling.
History
The chapel started in 1269 next to a hospital to store bones from an overcrowded cemetery. In the 18th century the current baroque structure was built after a bell tower collapsed.
Culture
The frescoes depict souls ascending to heaven and were painted at a time when Venetian techniques reached Mailand. The name honors Saint Bernardino of Siena, a 15th-century preacher known for his sermons against excess and vanity.
Practical
The building opens daily from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and you reach the ossuary through a corridor on the right side of the main entrance. Visitors arriving in the morning find quieter rooms and better light through the chapel windows.
Did you know?
More than 4,000 human remains rest inside the chapel, including skulls of executed criminals displayed in cases above the entrance door. The arrangement follows a symmetrical pattern that forms roses and crosses out of bones.
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