San Bernardino alle Ossa

Behind the Duomo Cathedral in Milan you will find a Baroque church where history has taken an interesting turn. It used to be a cemetery with a delightful church. But as the cemetery in the heart of Milan filled up it ran out of space to store the remains of the people resting there. So the bones had to be moved from their resting place.

Since 1210 the church has a slightly disturbing chapel, or more accurately an ossuary, where the bone remains of local catholics are stored. The walls are decorated with bones and skulls are stacked in artistic cross shapes immortalizing the deceased in a macabre yet intriguing Christian work of art. As the church is centrally located in Milan it’s certainly recommended to pay a visit and see this unique homage to the death.