Chapel of Bones

Chapel of Bones tickets: which one to buy

The chapel is entered through the Church of St Francis in Evora and charges a small combined ticket that also covers the church's upper gallery, the sacred art museum and a terrace with a view over the town; it is inexpensive and there is no cheaper partial option. A further small fee applies to photography, and the rule is enforced at the door. Queues form at midday when the Lisbon coaches arrive and are short otherwise.

Most visitors come on a day trip from Lisbon, an hour and a half each way, which typically includes Evora's Roman temple, the cathedral and a winery in the Alentejo; those trips usually cover the chapel entry, but check, since some only stop outside. Walking tours of Evora last two hours and include the ticket. Going independently by bus or train is straightforward and lets you stay for the evening, which is when the walled town is at its best.

Visiting Chapel of Bones: what to see

Franciscan friars built the chapel in the seventeenth century for a practical reason and a spiritual one. Evora's churchyards were full, so the bones of some 5,000 people were exhumed; rather than reburying them, the friars arranged them as decoration and as a sermon. Skulls and long bones are set in cement across the walls and the eight pillars, in rows and rosettes, under a low brick ceiling painted with images of death.

Two desiccated bodies hang in glass cases, one of them a child, and local legend attaches a curse to them that the guides enjoy repeating. Over the entrance runs the line that gives the place its purpose: we bones that are here await yours. A framed poem on a pillar, attributed to a nineteenth-century parish priest, makes the same argument at greater length. The chapel is small, three bays and about 19 metres long, and takes ten minutes to walk. The church above it is a fine Manueline building that most visitors hurry through.

Chapel of Bones opening hours and the best time to go

Open daily from morning to early evening in summer and closing earlier in winter, with the last entry half an hour before. The chapel is small and a single tour group fills it, so the hour after opening and the last hour of the day are far better than the middle. Light comes from three small openings on one side and is dim at any hour, which suits the subject but defeats phone cameras.

The Alentejo is very hot in July and August; Evora's marble streets hold the heat well into the evening. Dress modestly, since this is part of a working church. The chapel is not recommended for young children and the staff will say so. Allow half an hour for chapel and church together, half a day for Evora, which also has a Roman temple, a walled old town and some of the best food in Portugal.