Skull Chapel in Czermna

A symbol of life and its passing, which raises a reflection on the vast religious culture of the Kłodzko. Located near the parish church of St. Bartholomew in Czermna, it is one of the biggest curiosities of our region and the only such monument in Poland.

There are 3,000 skulls here, and a further 21,000 is in the crypt under the chapel.

This great number of human bones and skulls were placed in the chapel deliberately. It was done by Wacław Tomaszek, the local parish priest (of Czech origin), the man for whom a meditation on death took almost whole life. He held the duties of a priest for 40 years, and has devoted the last 30 to this incredible chapel. The idea was born perhaps at seeing catacombs in Rome.

Currently, the inside looks very much like the years before, but the more interesting specimens of skulls, formerly lying on the altar, are placed in a glass case.

Among the tibia and skulls stacked with layers, by the walls of the chapel are two statues of angels: one with the trumpet (the inscription: Rise from the dead), the second with the balance (with the inscription: Be judged), at the center there is an altar with a baroque cross.