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Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos)

Evora, Portugal
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Ranked #3 of 17 attractions in Evora
Type: Landmarks/ Points of Interest, Religious Sites
Owner description: A sight to give you goose-bumps: the walls of this macabre chapel are lined with the bones of thousands of nuns and monks laid out in intricate... more » Owner description: A sight to give you goose-bumps: the walls of this macabre chapel are lined with the bones of thousands of nuns and monks laid out in intricate patterns, with a legend at the door that roughly translated means "Our bones are here, we await yours." « less
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258 reviews from our community

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2013 NEW

The Chapel of Bones, a room made completely from bone. In there, a chorus of bones seem to stare at you as you walk past, getting ready to take a photo. Taking photos in there costs 1 Euro ($1.31 in American money). The payment might be worth it and it might be not, depending if you think the bones or... More

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See 3 more reviews by torin2111 for Evora
London, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
84 reviews 84 reviews
42 attraction reviews
Reviews in 39 cities Reviews in 39 cities
62 helpful votes 62 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2013 via mobile

It might unsettle some to see a chapel internally decorated with the 'internals' of the deceased but this is a great place to visit. There is a much smaller chapel of bones an hours drive away at Campo Maior near Elvas which is even better as you can get much closer to the decor and there aren't as many tourists.

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See 2 more reviews by Halo44 for Evora
Portland, Oregon
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2013

Didn't know it took bones from 5000 people to line these walls and ceilings. A little creepy if you don't fancy bones from 17th century dead people!

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See 3 more reviews by lotustraveler for Evora
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Top Contributor
507 reviews 507 reviews
384 attraction reviews
Reviews in 113 cities Reviews in 113 cities
136 helpful votes 136 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

The Capela dos Ossos in Evora was tastefully presented and reverently described. Reminiscent of the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on via Veneto in Rome or so many other similar chapels, this is a must-see if you have never seen such a resting place before. The Chapel of Bones in Evora was especially beautiful, albeit macabre to... More

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North West England
Top Contributor
78 reviews 78 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 64 cities Reviews in 64 cities
90 helpful votes 90 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 April 2013

Although I had read about the Chapel and seen pictures, it didn't prepare me. It was far more stunning, impressive, and thought provoking than I expected. A must see if you visit Evora.

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See 6 more reviews by tabitha67 for Evora
Solihull
Top Contributor
118 reviews 118 reviews
16 attraction reviews
Reviews in 74 cities Reviews in 74 cities
52 helpful votes 52 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 April 2013

Macabre, but pretty unusual. We have visited a similar place near Faro on the Algarve, but this place is certainly worth a visit. DO pay the little extra to allow you to take photos, otherwise you will probably regret it later.,

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See 3 more reviews by SolihullBob for Evora
Madrid, Spain
Top Contributor
73 reviews 73 reviews
38 attraction reviews
Reviews in 27 cities Reviews in 27 cities
25 helpful votes 25 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 April 2013

This small chapel is incredible... thousand of skulls, bones etc... were used to build the walls !!! No many plases in the world looks simmilar. No good place for fearfull people. It is worthy to visit.

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London, United Kingdom
2 reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 April 2013

For an extra 1 (Euro) you get to take pictures inside this Chapel. Please make sure you have a good camera, as the chapel inside is quite dark. There was a nougat stand outside the chapel when I went. 3.50 (Euro) for 2 bags of nougat. Kinda interesting...

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Providence, Rhode Island
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
34 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 March 2013

How can people rate this any less than five stars??? It's perfection. For one euro, you can photograph all the beautiful skulls and bones that make up this small chapel. Wow.

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See 2 more reviews by erinswanson27 for Evora
Denver
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 March 2013

Very interesting display, but having seen something similar in Naples, the display was not nearly as jarring. The majority of construction seems to be out of femurs which lends an odd cobbled look. An Evora highlight but if youre running low on time, not a necessity if youve seen someting similar.

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See 4 more reviews by GetOutTheMapGuy for Evora

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