Chapel of Bones

So, in the 15th century, things were pretty good in Evora. A local boy was king, Portugesers were conquering the world, or at least enslaving as much of Africa as they could get their hands on; in the name of God. Everybody was getting rich and enjoying life. So three Franciscan monks, Mauritius, Laurentius, and Curlius, decided a more serious and contemplative attitude was needed. (This is so ironic in that Franciscans are really among the more fun-loving of the orders; according to me). Anyhow, they went out and dug up the bones of 5,000 graves. Most graveyards are on church grounds and the department of sanitation was told not to interfere; or else. And then they used the bones to decorate the walls of a chapel, since called, imaginatively, the Chapel of Bones, the idea being that seeing all these bones might make you think about mortality, your own, and thus you would live less extravagantly and give more money to the Holy Church. People, including us, continue to flock from all over the world, to plop down their 2 euros (plus an extra 1 if you want to take photos), to see the bones and think about mortality. This is called Cultural Tourism, the ecclesiastical version.

Le Chapel des Bones

Cranium city

This could be you

Nice ceiling work

And, for those of you whose school districts stopped
offering classical languages, this says something like
"our bones are waiting for your bones"