Jeweled skeletons like St Valerius are unsettling, mysterious, beautiful. Captured here by @hexenkult
📍Saint Valerius, Kloster Weyarn, Germany
When archaeologists unlocked the catacombs of Rome in 1578, they disinterred skeletal remains and decorated them with gold and jewels. Then, the skeletons went on display tour across Europe to convey that the glory awaits the church’s faithful followers in the afterlife.
From the modern perspective, many of us would oppose it. However, back then, locals welcomed the tour with open arms.
Till in the early 19th century, the display came into question and the relics were hidden, thrown away or destroyed. Now, we can find some of them in museums or private collections to understand the relics and stories behind.