Sedlec Ossuary

 Author: Anna Mervine

In Kutna Hora, there is a place called the Sedlec Ossuary. People can take trips and visit the church that has over 35,000 bones in it. The exact number of bones the church has is 40,000. According to the author Michael Turtle, in an article entitled “Visiting the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora.” The bones are real, and they come from bodies that were buried in the cemetery around the church in the 14th and 15th century. After that, they were moved into the ossuary after they were dug up so the cemetery's size could be reduced. This church has been around for years, and to this day it still fascinates people enough to go out of their way to explore it.

Bone Church

You can visit the Sedlec Ossuary in Prague. The author, Stephanie Hubka, of the article “Sedlec Ossuary: Visiting the Bone Church of Kutna Hora” states that she had to take an organized tour to get there because they did not have a rental car and there is not a direct form of transportation option. “Trains and buses will extend your journey from one hour to almost three hours.” She states. Around Sedlec Ossuary, there are places you can stay if you would rather stay overnight in Kutna Hora. Unless you can get a rental, there is not a formal form of transportation, so if you visit then you would most likely be better off taking a day trip to Prague. If you want to visit, tickets are available on their website. The ossuary is open from 10AM – 6PM between April and September. The Ossuary is open from 10AM – 4PM between October and March. In the article "Czech Republic’s notorious Sedlec Ossuary to ban selfies.” it states that as of 2020 “visitors will need to ask for permission from the parish three days in advance if they wish to take pictures in the ossuary.” Meaning, unless given permission, no photography is allowed inside the building while visiting. Kutna Hora. 
The Ossuary was built during the time of the Plague. People would come to the Sedlec before their death. When they died, they would have been buried in the Sedlec. After that had stopped, the task of creating the Ossuary was given to a half blind monk named Frantisek Rindt who arranged the bones to remember the people who had died during the Plague. Now, in 2022, people can visit the Sedlec Ossuary to view the beauty of the Ossuary and have a tragically gruesome dedication to the dead. Their lives still live on and will always be remembered.

Works cited:
Turtle, Michael. “Kutna Horas Church of Bones.” Time Travel Turtle. 22 September. 2022. https://www.timetravelturtle.com/sedlec-ossuary-bone-church-kutna-hora-czech-republic/. Accessed 23 October. 2022.

Hubka, Stephanie. “Sedlec Ossuary: Visiting the Bone Church of Kutna Hora.” Road Unraveled. 20 March. 2018. https://www.roadunraveled.com/blog/bone-church-sedlec-ossuary-kutna-hora/. Accessed 24 October. 2022.

Prague, Kafkadesk. “Czech Republic’s notorious Sedlec Ossuary to ban selfies.” Kafkadesk. 22 October. 2019. https://kafkadesk.org/2019/10/22/czech-republics-notorious-sedlec-ossuary-to-ban-selfies/. Accessed 24 October. 2022.

Links for Further Reference:
So, Haley. “Sedlec Ossuary – The Creepy Church that Decorated with Thousands of Bones.” The Value. 3 Jan. 2019. https://en.thevalue.com/articles/sedlec-ossuary-church-of-bones. Accessed 25 October. 2022. This article provides information about how the Sedlec Ossuary is decorated and why it is how it is.

Tripadvisor. “Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice Sedlec).” Viator. https://www.viator.com/Prague-attractions/Sedlec-Ossuary/overview/d462-a22657. Accessed 25 October. 2022. This article, from a trip advisor website, shares need to know information before going to the Sedlec Ossuary. Like how to get there and where you would go.

Lovejoy, Jess. “7 Amazing Facts about the Sedlec Ossuary.” Mental Floss. 27 Feb. 2019. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/575129/sedlec-ossuary-facts. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022. Jess writes an article and in every paragraph, she shares a different fact about the Sedlec Ossuary.

Mystery of Stull: Is It Real or Not?

Author: Brianni Foxworth

Image from Ghost Hauntings

           
There are no more than twenty residents in the town of Stull. The cemetery located there is said to be a ground where the devil and his followers join to hold court.  In the small town of Stull Kansas, it is said to hold one of the seven gates of hell. Freaky, yes; the legend is the devil himself comes out on the night of Spring Equinox and on Halloween night. There are also rumors that say  “...glass will not break if  you throw it against the stones of the church,” (Faircloth). They also say, not only is the devil being seen in the cemetery, it is other spirits in the cemetery that have died in horrific ways. In the  1800s there is said to have been a practice of black magic, and other demonic rituals. There used to be a church that sat beside the cemetery; it mysteriously burned to the ground. It is said that if it rains, the rain will never touch the spot where the church was once held. The residents of Stull, say all of the legends are just rumors (Taylor).

           
The people that believe this is indeed true about Stull cemetery are the ones who have encountered strange activities here. After the story of the devil being seen in the cemetery over a hundred people came from all over to witness the devil for themselves. Another rumor that was going around about the cemetery is that all of the bodies that have been buried in the cemetery, the ones who have died a horrific death come out also. All of the people that showed up on the two nights the devil would appear were sadly disappointed because there were not sights of the devil that night. The stories about the hauntings on Stull did not stop because of this( Taylor).      

           
Now after all of the disappointment of not seeing the devil, more people came out and told their encounter with strange events that they claimed to have went on while they were visiting. Years after the first gather of witnessing the devil and his worshipers, two college students went to visit the cemetery and came back and told their encounter of the spirits in Stull. “ ...two young men were visiting Stull Cemetery  one night, and became frightened when a strong wind began blowing out of nowhere. They ran back to their car, only  to find that the vehicle had been moved to the other side of the highway, and was now facing in the opposite direction” (Taylor).

There are  more encounters that people have had and you can go to http://www.prairieghosts.com/stull.html read more about this cemetery. in the end there are two opinions about Stull Kansas, some say it is haunted and it is in fact one of the seven gates to hell. Then there are those who live in Stull, and they say it is nothing supernatural there. Stull Cemetery is it real or not?

Works Cited

Faircloth, Cynthia. “The devil and Stull Kansas” Darkendofthestreet.net.2011.Web. 10 October, 2013

 Taylor, Troy. “ STULL CEMETERY - GATEWAY TO HELL?” Prairieghost.com. 2002. Web. 10 October 

2013.

“The Legend of Stull, Kansas” Ghosthaunting.org. 2013.Web.10 October,2013

links for further research:

http://www.prairieghosts.com/stull.html You will be able to get more information on the legend of the cemetery and more background information of Stull, Kansas.

http://www.ghosthauntings.org/Stull__Kansas.html This is another article on the legend, but it give more detailed stories.

http://darkendofthestreet.net/author/degravelle/ This is an opinion article on the legend of Stull Cemetery.

The Mystery of Saint Bernadette’s Body

Author: Spencer Weatherman

Saint Bernadette Soubirous

In Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, a poor miller and his wife were blessed with a baby girl. They named her Marie-Bernadrde Soubirous. They did not know that later on their daughter would be a Saint of the Catholic Church. Saint Bernadette reported seeing eighteen apparitions of a small young lady (A&E Network). Her first vision was on January 11, 1858. It was later discovered that she was referring to the Virgin Mary. Saint Bernadette became a Christian Mystic and Saint in the Catholic Church, but she was not canonized as a Saint until 1933, which was fifty-four years after her death (A&E Network). Saint Bernadette died on April 16, 1879, of an illness. She was only 21 years old when she pasted away.  Saint Bernadette was buried in a damp grave in Nevers, France. Thirty years later her body was dug up for beatification reasons (Catholicpilgrims). It was found that her body was still preserved and intact. She looked exactly like she did on the day she had died. It is believed that it is the way of the Lord and because Saint Bernadette gazed into the eyes of the Virgin Mary. Saint Bernadette took with her the knowledge of secrets the Virgin Mary had shared with her. Saint Bernadette was a visionary and messenger who told the words of the Virgin.

"Intact, those lips which conversed with the Virgin Mary. Intact, those hands which guided by the hands of Aquero, painfully scratched the soil of Massabielle and opened for us the miraculous spring of penance. Intact and present, this heart so tender and so strong beats for the love of Jesus and His Mother, and on their account for all the sinners in the world. Intact, as if she had just gone to sleep, and awaits only the angel's call to rise to her feet. God did not want her to escape totally from our human wretchedness, nor leave her brothers and sisters for whom she gave her life. She is still among us."

 — A. Ravier, S.J. (Catholicpilgrims)

Hold mouse over image to see Bernadette at the time of her death, April 16, 1879, Animation may take a minute to download

Works Cited:

"St Bernadette of Lourdes Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/st-bernadette-of-lourdes-9209641.

"St. Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes." The Catholic Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. http://www.catholiccompany.com/st-bernadette-soubirous-of-lourdes-c554/?aid=117.

“Saint Bernadette.” Saint Bernadette. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. http://www.catholicpilgrims.com/lourdes/ba_bernadette_intro.htm.

Byran Bustard. “Saint Bernadette Soubirous.” Painting- Acrylic and Prismacolor on Illustration Board. Fine Art America, November 30, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/saint-bernadette-soubirousbryan-           bustard.jpg.

Links for further research:

Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary

http://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/bernadette.htm

Contains information about Saint Bernadette’s religious vocation.

Followers of Jesus and Mary

http://www.indefenseofthecross.com/Lourdes.htm

Contains information about why Saint Bernadette is so important in the Catholic Church.

Eternal Word Television Network

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/bernadet.htm

Contains information about Saint Bernadette’s life before she became a Saint.