Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones)

Children who are into skeletons, pirates’ skulls and gruesome history usually find this the most memorable place in Évora. The Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) is part of the Igreja de São Francisco, the Church of St Francis, a short walk from Évora’s main square. Franciscan friars built it in the 17th century, following a fashion of the time, to make people stop and think about how short life is and how they ought to live it.

Wikipedia puts the number of people whose bones went into the chapel at about 5,000, dug up from the town’s old burial grounds. The friars set the bones and skulls into cement on the walls and the eight pillars in careful patterns. The chapel itself is small: three bays, about 19 metres long and 11 metres wide, lit by three small windows.

The walls and pillars are covered in thousands of bones and skulls, arranged in rows, borders and patterns. Over the entrance, a sign in Portuguese reads, roughly, “We bones that are here are waiting for yours.” The vaulted ceiling is painted with frescoes dating from 1810, full of symbols from Bible stories and the instruments of Christ’s Passion, and Wikipedia notes death motifs among them. A framed poem on one pillar, attributed to a 19th-century parish priest, asks visitors to reflect on their own lives.

Two dried bodies hang in a glass case on one wall, one of them a child’s. That is usually the part that upsets children, far more than the skulls.

On the way out, look at the wall opposite the exit. A tile panel by the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira answers the chapel’s message about death with the miracle of life. It’s a gentle place to end, and a good starting point for a conversation.

Be honest with yourself about your own child. This is a place full of real human remains, and the dried bodies can upset children who were fine with the skulls. Some children find it fascinating and ask questions for weeks; others have bad dreams. It helps to explain beforehand that these were real people, that the friars meant it as a lesson about living well, and that it’s fine to walk out if it gets too much. The chapel is a single room, so it’s easy to leave.

We have marked it for big kids and teens. A younger child who already loves skeletons may be fine, but look at photos together first and let them decide.

The single ticket covers much more than the chapel, which gives younger siblings a softer end to the visit. Upstairs, in the friars’ old dormitory above the Chapel of Bones, is a museum of sacred art from Évora’s convents: paintings, sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries, silver and gold made by local craftsmen, and religious robes. It was created during the restoration of 2014 and 2015.

The galleries above the side chapels of the church hold the Canha da Silva family’s collection of nativity scenes, full of tiny figures. The ticket also includes the chapter room with its own nativity scene, the royal tribune and the Terraço da Galilé, a terrace above the church.

The church is free to visit and worth a look in its own right. Franciscans first came to Évora in 1224. When the kings of Portugal set up a palace in part of the convent, they rebuilt the church on a grand scale, and by the 16th century it was known as the Convento de Ouro (the golden convent). The religious orders were closed in 1834 and much of the convent was sold off, but the church and the Chapel of Bones survived. Masses are held Monday to Saturday at 11:30 and on Sundays at 09:00 and 12:00, so be quiet and respectful if you visit then.

When checked in September 2026, the single ticket cost €7 for adults, €5 for young people up to 25, over-65s and visitors with a disability (and a companion), and €15 for a family of two adults and their children. The church is a private religious body and doesn’t accept state-museum discount cards. You can pay in cash or by card at the desk.

It’s open every day from 09:00 to 18:30 in summer time and 09:00 to 17:00 in winter time, except 1 January, Easter Sunday, the afternoon of 24 December and 25 December.

Because the chapel is small, it can feel crowded when a tour group is inside. If yours dislikes crowds, go early or wait a few minutes for the group to move on. Groups, including schools and families who want priority entry, can book and pay in advance by email or at the desk. The 2014 to 2015 restoration improved access to the building, but ask at the desk about step-free routes if you need one.

Évora is compact, and the chapel pairs easily with a walk along the Aqueduto da Água de Prata, the town’s old aqueduct, and the Museu do Relógio, a clock museum. Just outside town, the standing stones of the Cromeleque dos Almendres make a good short trip. For a treat afterwards, try the bakery Pão de Rala.

Is the Capela dos Ossos suitable for children?

It depends on the child. Many children of about eight and up who like skeletons find it fascinating. The two dried bodies, one a child’s, can upset sensitive children, so talk about it first.

How long does it take to visit?

The chapel itself takes 10 to 15 minutes. With the museum, terrace and nativity collection on the same ticket, allow about an hour.

How much does it cost for a family?

A family ticket for two adults and their children was €15 in September 2026. Entry to the church itself is free.

Are the bones real?

Yes. They belonged to people buried in Évora’s old cemeteries, about 5,000 of them according to Wikipedia.