Strange Mausoleums and Ossuaries (31 Days of Halloween 16/31)

Tomb of Enrique Torres Belon
Lampa, Peru
Lined with hanging skeletons and filled with hundreds of excavated bones from the local church cemetery belon wanted a peaceful resting place for himself and his wife. He believed he was moving the remains to a better spot in this strange silo attached to the church. You can visit if you know the right person, are willing to pay, and travel to a somewhat inconvenient location.

Mahabat Maqbara Palace
Junagadh, India

The resting place of Wazir Bahaduddinbhai Hasainbhai was finished in 1892 and features of blend of Gothic and Islamic style ornamentation. It features four winding staircases.

Catacombs
Paris, France
Originally created as a means of dealing with Parisian cemetery overflow, more than 6 million human remains were sent into an underground tunnel system known as the catacombs. Many parts are unopened to the public due to flooding and cramped spaces, but even air bnb offers a stay inside for those feeling creepy enough. In the 19th century they became more popular when people began to hold concerts and events in the tunnels and many people still search the area as a means of urban exploration.

Lenin's Mausoleum
Moscow, Russia
Vladimir Lenin's preserved remains have rested here since 1924 with the funding of the Russian government. There is no photography or talking allowed and visitors must first be searched by military guards.

Chapel of the Bones
Evora, Portugal
Originally created in the 16th century by a monk, it is estimated that over 5000 remains were carefully placed in order to convey a message about how life is transient in nature. Upon entrance there is an inscription reading "We, the bones that are here, wait for you"

Rufina Cambaceres
Buenos Aires, Argentina

The tomb of the young Rufina Cambaceres who was thought to have died young at age 19 after falling into a coma. However it is said that soon after her burial the cemetery workers heard screams from her tomb and once the coffin was opened they found scratch marks on the inside and on her face leading many to believe she was not dead when she was buried but actually suffering from catalepsy (low vital signs) and was incorrectly pronounced dead the first time. Although this story is not completely verified she is well known as the woman who died twice.

Sedlec Ossuary
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
It is estimated that between 40,000 - 70,000 remains are laid to rest here over a period of hundreds of years. It wasn't until 1870 when František Rint was given the task of rearranging the bones to form ornate pieces such as chandeliers constructed from every bone in the human body that the ossuary became what it now is today.

Skull Chapel
Kudowa, Poland
Built in 1776 as a mass grave for those who died during the thirty year war and of other diseases at the time, the ossuary contains thousands of remains with as many as 21 thousand below. Skulls line the ceilings and walls inspired by Capuchin cemetery.

Terracotta Army
Qin Ling Bei Lu, China
Buried with China's first emperor in 210-209 BCE there are estimated that over 8000 soldiers stand alongside 130 chariots and over 500 horses. There are also other nonmilitary depicted such as musicians and acrobats. The tomb was found in 1976 by local farmers and the soldiers are all life-size originally painted bright vivid colors wielding real weapons.

Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini
Rome, Italy
Below the church is a large crypt created in 1626 created by Pope Urban VIII and over 4000 were exhumed from cemeteries by a cardinal to rest underneath. At the time burials underneath a Catholic Church were allowed and the creative nature stems from a time when spiritual masters meditated and preached with a skull in their hands. A plaque inside of the chapels reads "What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be"

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I know the Taj Mahal isn't creepy but it is a fascinating Mausoleum nonetheless

Previous Posts:

15/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/wN4lQ
14/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/hqssD
13/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/QDGtl
12/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/2H8pZ
11/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/Bb1Z2
10/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/3vbky
09/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/pkWnG
08/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/OyYDd
07/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/lOlp7
06/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/U48PR
05/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/qnNSg
04/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/3zZb5
03/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/598bp
02/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/VlJnq
01/31: https://imgur.com/gallery/0qZEo