Monday, April 22, 2019
We got up at 7 am and got ready then went downstairs for the breakfast buffet. It was good as usual. We took our time eating. We left the hotel around 9 am and walked around the corner to the pick-up area for the tour to Kutna Hora today. We got there in plenty of time and we left at 9:30 am with an English speaking tour guide. Twelve people were on the tour including us. It took about an hour and a half to get to the bone church. Today is Easter Monday, an official state holiday and most large stores are closed.
The church in Kutna Hora is called the All Saint’s Church. In 1258 a monk was sent to the Holy Land by the king of Bohemia. He returned with some Holy Dirt, Holy Soil. He sprinkled it on the land next to the All Saint’s Church and this then became a desired spot to be buried.
The Black Death of the mid and late 1300’s claimed many, many people. This was followed in the early 1400’s by the Hussite Wars claiming more lives. Huge graves were dug to mass bury all these thousands of people, estimated at between 40,000 to 70,000 people. They were buried next to the church in the desired patch of land.
In 1511 a monk was given the task of unearthing the skeletal remains and build an ossuary as a new church was being built on the holy ground. He designed the ossuary as it is today. He artistically designed the chapel area with the human bones in all sorts of patterns and designs. The central chandelier area has all of the human body bones incorporating the design. Huge mounds of bones are within the chamber going about 20 feet high and 40 feet on each side at least. The bones are carefully stacked one on the other. All the bones had been cleaned and bleached before use and do not carry disease.
He designed the coat of arms of the House of Schwarenberg in bones. The family were the royal residents of the area and patron of the church.
We got back in the bus and drove over to St. Barbara’s Cathedral. Work began on it in 1388, but due to the Black Death and the Hussite War, it was delayed for 60 years. It is a very large Gothic cathedral. It was built outside the city walls as it was too big to be done inside the walls. It was felt any invading army would spare the religious structure. We went inside and took pictures.
We then walked into the town from the cathedral. A monastery was built next to the church and of course, they built a winery on the hill.
Royal Residence of the area dating back to 1450.
A much older church, the HIGH CHURCH, was around the corner. It was built in 1230, or at least started then. It is also Gothic and medieval but the local royalty wasnted the other St. Barbara’s church built and then started building it.
We walked around the small town and then had time for a quick lunch. It was then back on the bus to Prague.
We had an interesting talk with our tour guide. She talked about the communist period. She was born in 1951. Her parents lived through the period between the wars, Hitler and then communism. Her grandfather made a bad joke about a communist official in 1951 and was jailed for six months for the one remark plus fined a year’s salary for an entire family. Her family was labeled as “non-cooperative and rebellious” which limited her educational opportunities. Her grandfather died in 1952 but her parents and her siblings and herself continued to carry that label.
She said during the communist period, the churches were closed, the monastery buildings were shuttered. The monks and sisters were allowed to leave the country. Some of the hospitals that the sisters ran were closed or partially closed.
She only had the opportunity to go to two schools until high school as she was “rebellious” and not allowed to go to further education. She was told what job to take.
Housing was built by the communists in large tracts with each building looking the same as the one next to it. All were painted gray, the only accepted color. The apartments were small, two bedrooms large enough for two twin beds. The kitchen was very small as was the living room. TVs were in the common area, not large and had a rotation to watch but there was not much to watch if you got the chance.
There was a store for every so many apartment buildings but they had minimal supplies and were usually short of bread and the essentials. People survived of course, but their lively hood was poor.
She said she did not appreciate how little she had, how little choices she had until the Velvet Revolution of 1989. She was amazed about the “world out there” and all the possible opportunities that suddenly came available.
The communist leaders were disposed but the managers of the plants, the industry, the buildings suddenly took charge of them and then became the owners and immediately rich. People were given the right to move around and find jobs. Money flowed into the country from the West, particularly Germany and the USA. Churches were reopened. They were given back to the Church. The monastery buildings were reopened and if the monks or sisters were not able to take it back, then they were converted to shops, apartments or other useful structures.
She had always been interested in history. She was also very interested in travel but did not have the opportunity. She went to Italy for a very brief time and then back to Czech. Her father had met an Italian in the war and he was from Venice. He always talked about going there one day. She saved her money to take him there in the summer of 1991 and they planned the trip but he died shortly before they were to go. She went on the trip to honor him. She studied hard and became a tour guide and learned English and some other languages. She was able to provide for her family, to get a house, to go visit people, to talk to other people and so forth.
A study was done two years ago. 82% of the people said they had no religion. It surprised the government. The people said that they had been suppressed by the Habsburg, then the Germans, then the Russians. “Where was God?” They felt He deserted them. The older people who had gone to church were dying off, the younger people did not want to go to church. The study showed the people respected the Church and the places of worship, but more as a historical note than a religious purpose.
We got back around 3pm. We came back to the room. I did part of the blog until the internet really slowed down. Sandy took a nap.
We went out for supper around 7:30 pm. Many businesses were closed including restaurants for Easter Monday. We went to the food court at the mall, It was partially opened. We went to our first Mexican-Indian restaurant. Yes, it featured Mexican food and Indian food on the same menu. I got a margarita and chicken fajitas and Sandy shared them. They were good. I tried to talk her into Dal but she declined. We got back to the room by 9 pm. We watched the remaining few episodes of the Good Fight and have caught up now to the current episode.
We debated what to do tomorrow. We will decide in the morning.
What a creepy boney church!