Ossuaries, or containers where the bones of the dead are placed, are not unusual for many places in Europe, where burial ground space can be at a premium. But the archaeology site recently excavated at the Cathedral of Saint Bavo, in the Belgian city of Ghent, is one-of-a-kind. Nine walls have been uncovered that are made out of human bones.
One of the archaeologists at the dig, Janiek De Gryse, commented on how unusual these bones are for the region. No other site in the area has actual walls made of human bones — collections usually are just in giant pits, mass graves for when space got scarce.
These bones came from the late 14th-century, a time when Europe was devastated by the Bubonic Plague. However, the walls were built in the 1600s or early 1700s. The bones comprising the macabre architecture are only those of adults, and are mainly femurs and pelvic bones, with some skulls added to the mix.
De Gryse stated that they don’t yet know whether the walls were designed with a specific spiritual purpose in mind.
First image is of the dig. Second is of St. Bavo’s Cathedral. (I have been there, but didn’t see the bones.)
Source(s): _Live Science_, by Laurel Geggel, February 20, 2020. Http:// livescience.com/bone-walls-belgium-church.html .
