Origins of the Holy Soil
In 1278, Abbot Henry of the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec brought back earth from Golgotha, Jerusalem, spreading it over the monastic cemetery. This act elevated Sedlec into a coveted burial site across Central Europe during the Black Death and Hussite Wars.
František Rint's Masterpiece
In 1870, the Schwarzenberg noble family hired local woodcarver František Rint to order the tens of thousands of disinterred bones. Rint disinfected and bleached the human remains, crafting extraordinary heraldic devices, chalices, and an immense central chandelier containing every bone of the human skeleton.
Preservation & Respectful Behavior
Visitors are expected to observe quiet decorum. Photography restrictions were updated in recent years to maintain solemnity and suppress sensationalist media creation.