Convento de San Francisco Ossuary – Lima, Peru - Atlas Obscura
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Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

Lima, Peru

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru. 

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Wikimedia (Public Domain)
Wikimedia (Public Domain)
Wikimedia (Public Domain)
Wikimedia (Public Domain)
Outside of San Francisco Monastery thesolotraveler50 (Atlas Obscura User)
The garden squad at the Ossuary Blindcolour (Atlas Obscura User)
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Beneath the church at the Franciscan Monastery in Lima, Peru, there is an ossuary where the skulls and bones of an estimated 70,000 people are decoratively arranged.

Long forgotten, the catacombs were rediscovered in 1943 and are believed to be connected via subterranean passageways to the cathedral and other local churches. Both creepy and beautiful, they feature small grates scattered along the upper floor of the cathedral through which, while you are touring, you may look down at any given moment to see the artistically arranged dead illuminated.

Know Before You Go

It's one block northeast from the Plaza Mayor. There is no photography allowed inside the ossuary. There is an entrance fee.

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ossuaries relics and reliquaries catacombs and crypts
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Francisco Pizarro Statue
0.06 miles
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