My husband keep on telling me that we should check out this chapel in Milan where skulls and bones decorated the church. I can´t believe him.I mean not until I really see it with my own eyes.Skulls and bones in Milan is not included in my itinerary and certainly it´s not what I am expecting to see in Milano.

But then he was right. There is really this chapel, the Church of San Bernanrdino della Ossa where literally, crazy, and unique as it is—where human remains, skulls and bones abre all over the whole church.It´s a first time for me to see these huge amount of bones!

I thought for a second that they were plastic, like displays for halloween or something. But then, they are real.

At first we missed the entrance to the Ossuary, which is directly on your right side once you enter the church.It was quite hidden, like a gem tucked in a solemn place.The ambiance inside the church was just so eerie. Just like most of the churches in Europe, I always felt that nowadays , they only exist for tourism, pilgrim visits or so.It´s quite empty, with mostly tourists paying their visits and silent murmurs of prayers.

Inside the tiny chapel, the wals are adorned with  human skulls and vertebrae, doorframes embedded with femurs and ulnae .For me, it is actually one of the strangest, and most morbidly fascinating, religious sites in Milano, the Ossuary of the Church of San Bernardino alle Ossa (or literally St. Bernardine at the Bones.

I was so intrigued that I did some reading about this church and found out that in 1210, when an adjacent cemetery ran out of space, a room was built to hold bones which is quite a normal solution for public cemeteries. This is also a common practice in Philippines. I have some relatives who were buried first in a traditional way then after some years, the bones were gathered and put into like an apartment grave to minimize space. Anyway, this church was attached in 1269 to the bigger church , renovated in 1679, but it was destroyed by a fire in 1712.A new church was then built and this sanctuary was attached and remained as the house of these bones and skulls.

I sat for a moment and looked around and can´t help but to feel anxious looking at the skulls.It´s wonderful but at the same time, it´s so strange. I can´t help but to wonder about the vast number of remains collected from the cemetery and dump it all right here.All these souls,former inhabitants of this place all placed in one place.But one of the most interesting aspect for me personally was that skulls of criminals that were beheaded were separated from the rest of the dead.

Would you visit this place if you have the chance to do so?

This church is quite near to the Duomo in Milano. It´s a nice walk going there and getting out from the crowded square of Duomo. This can be an off the beaten path free things to do if you are in the city center of Milan.It is free to enter but the church is asking for a 1Euro donation as you enter.It´s becoming quite an attraction now in Milan so please check the church opening times before visiting.

I found this statue as well just beside the church and how optly, we sat and tried to have a break.

Milano is a city full of suprises and I would be writing those things in my upcoming posts.Anyway, if you have more time to kill and would like to read more of our Expat´s travel and adventures, please feel free to read on.

Nature walk in Echo Valley and the Hanging Coffins of Sagada

Asamkirche , Where Statues and Angels speaks

Liebfrauenkirche in Munich

Liebfrauenkirche in Ingolstadt

Frankenstein in my City

Until then, it´s rainy and manic Monday after all. Tschüß!