Loosely stacked skulls and other bones of medieval parishioners behind the ancient inner wrought iron grille barring entrance to the Gebeinhaus (bone house, charnel house or ossuary) beneath the Alte St. Michaelskirche (old Church of Saint Michael), former parish church of Alken on the River Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The ossuary was closed to new interments in the early 15th century. Skeletal remains stored here include ancient bones transferred from the church’s small cemetery to allow new burials there.
Alken, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany: skulls and bones of medieval parishioners are piled up beyond the rusted ancient inner wrought iron grille or grating barring an arched entrance to the Gebeinhaus (bone house, charnel house or ossuary) below the floor of the Alte St. Michaelskirche (old Church of Saint Michael), the former parish church of this small town on the River Moselle. The ossuary was closed to new interments at the beginning of the 15th century. The skeletal remains stored here include ancient bones transferred from the small cramped cemetery surrounding the church to make way for new burials in existing graves. The St. Michaelskirche, first mentioned in 1015, is one of the oldest churches in the Moselle or Mosel region. It was replaced as Alken’s parish church in 1849, but is still used for worship in summer and is a popular wedding venue. Inside, several well-preserved 14th century frescoes survive in the sanctuary and there are also frescoes in the nave dating from about 1450. Alken’s other historic attractions include ancient houses, remains of medieval walls, the venerable Laacher Hof, and Burg Thurant, picturesque ruins, on a hill spur high above the town, of a castle once jointly owned by the archbishops of Trier and Cologne.
Size: 2848px × 2848px
Location: St. Michaelskirche, Alken, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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