into a square by rows of skulls designed to emulate Gothic ribbed vaults. The short wall near the door contains the chapel’s
tiny altar. It is marked with a crucifix, perhaps more symbolic in bone chapels than anywhere else in Eu- rope. Mortality is believed to be the product of original sin, and since Christ’s sacrifice provided redemption, his crucifixion allows us a path to overcome the death that surrounds us here. The altar wall is composed of bone caps and two projecting levels of skulls forming a shrine area, but it is so dwarfed by the presence of the skeletons in the far walls that it seems like some- thing of an afterthought. It’s not an afterthought for the parishioners, however, since fresh flowers and candles are always provided – the chapel is specifi- cally dedicated to those who were killed in the explo- sion, whose souls now reside in purgatory. Prayers for them are offered even today. The function of the chapel as a commemorative
space is summarized in a final detail that could be easily overlooked, but is perhaps the most meaning- ful aspect of the room. Directly opposite the altar, and facing the plaza, is a window that was originally surrounded by an inscription spelled out in bone fragments. Most of the letters have fallen out, and only parts of the whole can be made out with cer- tainty, but it conveys a message from those who died. The typical inscription one might find in an os- suary chapel is a memento mori, something to re- mind us of the omnipresence and omnipotence of death – such as “we bones who are here, await your own.” But the bones here instead beg for remem- brance and prayers from those who visit this space, and conclude their ode with a plea to the Lord him- self. Still legible, the last sentence beseeches: Dai- lhes, Senhor, o Eterno Descanso (God, give us eternal rest). The souls of those who died speak out from purgatory; having suffered through the disaster of 1732, they ask the Lord to accept the flames of the explosion as purgation of their sins and allow them entry into heaven.
Campo Maior is approximately fifteen kilometres
from both Elvas, Portugal, and Badajoz, Spain, but nearly all transport goes through Elvas as there is no direct road from Badajoz. Buses are available once or twice a day from Elvas. By car, the N373 road leads directly northeast from Elvas to Campo Maior.
Built Of Bones: (clockwise from top) A view of the Capela dos Ossos’ interior, the inscription that offers a plea to the Lord on behalf of the explosion’s victims, the altar area, and (opposite) a full skeleton displayed in one of the chapel’s three niches.
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