Bejeweled bones

I first blogged about American art historian Paul Koudounaris upon publication of his spectacular The Empire of Death. He has now sought out and photographed dozens of decked-out skeletons in some of the world's most secretive religious sanctuaries (IMAGES HERE):

"In 1578 news came of the discovery in Rome of a labyrinth of underground tombs, which were thought to hold the remains of thousands of early Christian martyrs. Skeletons of these supposed saints were subsequently sent to Catholic churches and religious houses in German-speaking Europe to replace holy relics that had been destroyed in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The skeletons, known as “the catacomb saints,” were carefully reassembled, richly dressed in fantastic costumes, wigs, crowns, jewels, and armor, and posed in elaborate displays inside churches and shrines as reminders to the faithful of the heavenly treasures that awaited them after death."

Like his first book, Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures and Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs has a surprisingly affordable price.

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