Milan Bone Church

I had been to Milan quite a number of times, but I didn't know there is a church in Milan that was decorated with human bones, until recently.

The church is called Chiesa di San Bernadino alle Ossa.  It is built on a piece of land that used to be a cemetery.

The exterior of the church looks very plain and I think I had mistaken it as just any other normal building in the jungle in Milan.

Even the main chapel looks pretty normal.  It is designed with a dome and two side chapels.  But if you turn right into a dimly lit corridor, you will find a small chapel that is decorated with human bones!

The Main Altar

The Dome

Side Wall

Side Wall

Wall Opposite the Altar

All four sides of the wall, the dome, are decorated with human bones.  These bones were said to be from the cemetery that the church is built on.

Life and death meet here, reminding everyone their unavoidable final destination.  Life is short, so it is better than we live a more fulfilling life, rather wasting time regretting for what we have not done, what we didn't do, what we didn't do right.

I think this church is also featured in some tourist guide books, as many tourists come here to admire this beautiful work.