A Church of Bones|另类的捷克人骨教堂

by Timothy Laird

Prepare to face your own mortality while standing in awe at the Bone Church.

当你敬畏地站在人骨教堂内，请准备好面对有一天你也会成为其中一员的事实。

Lying in the town of Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic, the Sedlec Ossuary never fails to inspire fear and fascination in first-time visitors. Usually, an ossuary is just a site where bones are kept, but this one is very different. It is an ossuary richly ornamented with the bones of more than 40,000 human skeletons, an uncanny fact that led to its nickname—the Bone Church. It is a frighteningly awe-inspiring place. But you may find yourself wondering—exactly why are there so many skeletons there?

The current location of the Sedlec Ossuary was originally a monastery's graveyard. In 1278, the abbot of Sedlec paid a visit to the Holy Land, and on his return, he brought back a handful of earth from Golgotha, the area where Jesus is thought to have been crucified. The abbot sprinkled the soil in the graveyard, and word spread that the place was blessed. Soon, people from all over Europe wanted to be buried there. In the 15th century, the graveyard was nearly out of space, so to make room for newcomers, some of the older bones were removed from the cemetery and stored in an ossuary they built. At the time, however, the bones were merely piled up and not carefully arranged.

It was František Rint, a Czech woodcarver, who renovated the burial site and transformed it into the magnificent Bone Church. In 1870, he bleached thousands of bones and meticulously pieced them together in various shapes. The designs include two chalices, several candleholders, a noble family crest, a splendid chandelier, and much more. The chandelier in particular contains all the bones of the human body. Equally astonishing are the six bell-shaped pyramids of bones in the four corners of the ossuary. Together, they speak volumes about the transient nature of human existence. To this day, tourists can't help but feel humbled after a visit to the Bone Church.

1.  Why is the Sedlec Ossuary also known as the Bone Church?

(A) Souvenirs made of bones can be bought there.

(B) Many people died there in the War of 1278.

(C) The location used to be a monastery's graveyard.

(D) The church's interior has been decorated with bones.

2.  Why did the graveyard come to be seen as an ideal resting place?

(A) Jesus Christ was born in Golgotha.

(B) The abbot of Sedlec was telling everyone about his journey.

(C) The soil retrieved from Golgotha was considered sacred.

(D) The abbot of Sedlec was a saint and had the power to perform miracles.

3.  According to the article, František Rint did NOT _____.

(A) purchase extra bones to decorate the church

(B) make all the bones white

(C) change the Sedlec Ossuary into the Bone Church

(D) carefully place bones together in special arrangements

4.  What does speak volumes in the last paragraph mean?

(A) Make a lot of noise.

(B) Make something clear.

(C) Talk nonsense.

(D) Shout out loud.

位于捷克库拉贺拉小镇的人骨教堂，总是让第一次参观的访客心生畏惧却又赞叹不已。通常藏骨堂只是存放骨骸的地方，但这座教堂却非常另类。它是一座用超过 4 万具人骨来大量装饰的藏骨堂，也因为这怪异的事实而赢得了『人骨教堂』的别名。这是个既骇人又让人敬畏的地方。但你或许会想：究竟为什么会有这么多人骨呢？

　　人骨教堂现今的所在地原为一座修道院的墓地。1278 年，Sedlec修道院的院长前往圣地，回程时带回了一把各各他的泥土，而各各他也就是耶稣被钉死在十字架上的地方。这名院长将这些泥土撒在墓地上，而有关这片土地受到保佑的消息就此传开来。不久后，来自欧洲各地的人都想埋葬在那里。到了 15 世纪，这座墓地几乎没有空位，所以为了挪出空位给后来想长眠于此的往生者，于是一些原本埋在那里的骨骸从墓地中移走，存放在他们盖的一座藏骨堂中。当时，这些骨头只是堆栈在一起，并没有受到妥善的摆放。

　　将这座墓地重新整修，并改造成宏伟人骨教堂的是一名捷克木雕工匠 František Rint。1870 年，他将上千根骨头漂白，并小心翼翼地将它们组成不同形状。这些设计包括两个高脚杯、数个烛台、一个皇家纹饰、一盏华丽的吊灯，以及许许多多的物品。尤其是吊灯包含了人体所有的骨头。同样惊人的还有放在教堂 4 个角落的 6 个钟形金字塔。所有这些都足以说明人类生命的短暂。至今游客到人骨教堂参观时，都会不禁感到自身的渺小。

标准答案: 1. (D)2. (C)3. (A)4. (B)

For Your Information

除了捷克的人骨教堂外，葡萄牙的艾佛拉也有一座人骨教堂。Capelados Ossos 属于天主教圣弗朗西斯科大教堂（Igreja de São Francisco）的一部分，是巴洛克风格的建筑。创建者为一位僧侣，当时他为了传达『人生短暂』的宗教意念，用教堂墓地里大约 5 千具尸骨搭建起这座礼拜堂。

礼拜堂的两壁和 8 条厅柱完全由人骨镶成。白色的拱形天花绘有以死亡为主题的图案并由颅骨排列点缀。墙壁主要由肢骨镶嵌水泥而成，分别有两种排法：肢骨插入墙体或横镶在墙上，也有许多颅骨不规则镶嵌其中。厅柱为四方柱体，柱面由肢骨横向垒成，柱边颅骨纵向排列。（数据源：维基百科）