Kaple Božího Tela / Corpus Christi Chapel - Kutná Hora (Central Bohemia) - Charnel Chapels, Charnel Houses and Ossuaries on Waymarking.com

The Corpus Christi Chapel (Kaple Božího Tela), former charnel chapel founded by Corpus Christi confraternity in Kutná Hora in the end of the 14th century, belongs among the most valuable examples of intact high-Gotic architecture in Bohemia.

The Corpus Christi Chapel, located close to the Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora and has been closely linked to the cathedral since the start of its history (ca 1380). It was established as a charnel, a two-floor cemetery chapel with an ossuary, probably even prior to the start of the neighbouring cathedral's construction. The bottom floor was used for the reverent storage of bones, with the upper floor to have been used as a chapel for holding church services for the deceased. A cemetery, which was evidently situated on the site of today's Jesuit College, was founded along with the chapel.

The chapel served them as an oratory at the time that the Jesuits were active in Kutná Hora. Following the order's abolition in 1773, the chapel began to go from one private owner to another, which also resulted in changes in the way it was used. The chapel suffered and was not used at all from the mid-20th century and gradually fell into disrepair. This state of disrepair was so great that it was included on the list of one hundred of the most endangered monuments in the world in the 1990s. A demanding reconstruction to save the chapel took place in 1997–2000 thanks to the combined efforts of Kutná Hora municipality and the Ministry of Culture. Nowadays, the chapel is used for tourist tours and exceptional chamber cultural events.

Source: excerpted and translated from Wikipedia and kudyznudy.cz portal.