ossarium

An ossarium, or ossuary, is a container or building used to store skeletal remains, typically human bones. Ossaria may take the form of a simple box or chest, a crypt, a chapel, or a dedicated room within a church or cemetery. They are often created when burial space is limited, when bones from crowded graves are exhumed for reinterment, or when a site is cleared and the remains are consolidated for preservation and memory.

The term derives from Latin ossarium, from os or oss- meaning bone, with the suffix -arium indicating a place for. In English, both “ossarium” and “ossuary” are used, and many languages have a cognate form such as ossuaire in French or ossario in Italian.

Historically, ossaria have appeared across Europe, especially from the medieval period onward. Bones gathered from old graves or battlefields were centralized in a single repository, often arranged for reverence rather than for individual identification. Some ossaria became notable cultural or religious monuments, sometimes featuring decorative arrangements of skulls and bones or integrated into monuments and chapels.

Architectural and design aspects vary widely. An ossarium may be austere or intricately ornamented, reflecting local customs and religious sensibilities. In many cases, it serves as a memorial rather than a tomb, emphasizing collective memory of the dead.

Notable examples include the Douaumont Ossuary in Verdun, which commemorates World War I soldiers; the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora, famous for its bone decorations; and the Capuchin Crypt in Rome, known for its bone-ornamented chapels. See also ossuary, catacomb, and bone chapel.