Church of dead people, Gothic church in Urbania, Italy.

The Chiesa dei Morti is a Gothic church in Urbania that houses approximately 18 naturally preserved mummies and about 100 skulls displayed in glass cases. These remains are kept behind the altar and document lives from earlier centuries.

Cola di Cecco, also known as Nicola di Francesco, and his wife Antonia di Filippuccio built the oratory in 1380 next to the Convent of San Francesco. In 1400 they left it to the Compagnia della Misericordia, which entrusted it to the Franciscans until 1602. In 1816 it became the seat of the Compagnia della Morte, founded in 1567 by don Giulio Timotei, which in 1831 began placing natural mummies behind the main altar.

The church reflects medieval burial customs, as the Brotherhood provided dignified interment for poor citizens and preserved their stories. Visitors can see today how this place served as a center for respectful death rituals over centuries.

The oratory stands on Via Filippo Ugolini in central Urbania. The mummy chapel lies behind the rear wall of the single nave, reached past the main altar. The building is small, so visits are short; allow time to look at the 1560 altarpiece and the fresco traces before entering the chapel.

Behind the altar wall, a chapel holds eighteen glass cases arranged in a semicircle with naturally preserved mummies, six women and twelve men, dated between the 17th and 19th centuries. They were placed there from 1831 by the Compagnia della Morte.