In Křtiny, a ossuary was created, and there are also mysterious painted skulls there

    KŘTINY - A ossuary has emerged in recent days under the famous pilgrimage church in Křtiny in the Blansko region. It contains the remains of hundreds of people that were found in February 1991 in a bricked-up crypt beneath the temple. The main rarity is 12 mysterious painted skulls, on which laurel wreaths have been drawn in charcoal and the large letter T has been inscribed.
    "These are the only painted skulls that have been found in the Czech Republic. Undoubtedly, these belong to some extraordinary individuals. According to some legends, they could be the skulls of Czech nobles who were executed in Prague after the Battle of White Mountain," revealed Křtinský priest Tomáš Prnka to ČTK today.
    The mystery of the painted skulls from Křtiny has been attempted to be unraveled by many experts in the past. According to them, the large letter T, which is inscribed on the foreheads of the skulls, can have several meanings. It could, for example, symbolize the Order of Saint Francis or Saint Anthony.
    "'T' may also represent the letter tau, which is the last in the Old Canaanite alphabet. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter nine, it speaks of those marked with the letter T will be saved," noted Prnka. Visitors to the ossuary will learn that the custom of painting skulls was once quite common in Austria. However, the drawings from Austria have nothing in common with the designs from Křtiny.
    The priest believes that the meaning of the drawings will probably never be discovered. The question of to whom the skulls belonged will likely remain unanswered as well. He suggests that the theory that these could be part of the group of 27 Czech nobles executed after the Battle of White Mountain in Prague cannot be entirely dismissed. Historical literature indicates that 12 of them were beheaded by four swords. The skulls were then hung in a basket at the Mostecká tower as a warning. Later, according to some experts, they may have found their way to Křtiny.
    The crypt found beneath the Křtiny church concealed the remains of about a thousand people. It is likely that these are the remnants from the cemetery that was abolished at the church in the 18th century. The ossuary will be opened to the public next Sunday after three years of construction work.
    According to legend, the Křtinský church of the Name of the Virgin Mary stands in the place where the first Christians in Moravia were baptized by the apostles Cyril and Methodius. The church has the shape of a Greek cross. Its underground has always attracted researchers. According to some legends, it was in this underground that the Premonstratensian order hid its treasures in the 18th century. The temple still conceals many secrets: for example, workers recently discovered a bricked-up, 17-meter-long corridor during construction work beneath it.