AngloPolish

When at the year 1775 Father Waclaw Tomaszek, pastor at St.. Bartholomew Czermna, observed two dogs digging under a bell tower, he did not know yet that the human bones, found by the animals originate from mass graves containing the remains of tens of thousands of people.

Author Merlin under Own work, attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0)

In shallow graves rested the victims of the Thirty Years' War which began just after the cholera epidemic in 1680. Priest had to do something with the uncovered human remains, so he commissioned to the local gravediger to clean the bones. He intended to build chapel from all remains. Probably his idea was inspired by the famous church in the Czech Republic village Kutna Hora (vary famous skull chapel)

Author Merlin under Own work, attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0)

The work lasted for 18 years, and the result was one (but not only one) of the most famous skull chapels in Poland. For lining the walls and ceiling were used 3 thousand skulls, but in the crypt is located a further 21 thousand ! On the altar there are placed a few interesting specimens: badly healed broken leg and the skull of Fr. Tomaszek placed there in accordance with his last will.

Author Merlin under Own work, attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0)