This weekend we have been exploring some of the sites in Portugal. One of these fastinating sites was the Bone Chapel located in Faro.
The Capela dos Ossos in Faro is a macabre but fascinating little chapel located to the rear of the beautiful Igreja do Carmo church.
The inscription over the door reads: “Stop here and think of the fate that will befall you – 1816,”
This inscription was placed here as a reminder by the Carmelite monks who built the chapel that year on the grounds of the larger church dating to 1719.
It is not merely decorated with bones — the walls are constructed from over a 1, 000 femurs with mortar. Skulls and other bones are placed on the interior at regular intervals, including grinning down from the barrel-vaulted ceiling, giving the place a pleasing, yet spooky atmosphere.
Here are some of the pictures we took.
And if you want a better look around the chapel check out our video below.
Writing and photography: Charlene Lowe Kemp and Edward Kemp.