Nestled in the heart of Milan, Italy, the Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa is a striking testament to both the macabre and artistic ingenuity. The origins of both the ossuary and the Church of St. Bernardino date back to the 13th century. In 1145, a hospital was built near the basilica of St. Stefano at what is now Via Brolo. A cemetery was created in front of the basilica to bury those who died in the hospital, but after a few years, the available space became insufficient.

In 1210, at the far end of the cemetery, a room was built to house the bones exhumed from the cemetery. After many years and destructive events, the church was immediately rebuilt, but the ossuary was reconstructed from the ground up, finishing in 1695, and it is the structure that still exists today. In 1750, they constructed the current church of St. Bernardino, using the old church as its new atrium. The church was designed by A. Biffi and C.C. Merlo in the 18th century.

The dome and pillars were frescoed by Venetian artist Sebastiano Ricci between 1693 and 1694. This fresco is the most artistically significant feature of the chapel, with a depiction of purgatorial souls ascending to heaven, surrounded by angels. Alongside this remarkable Venetian Baroque work, the chapel-ossuary features a unique and macabre decorative element: the walls are almost entirely covered with skulls and bones, originally from the ancient ossuary and exhumed from cemeteries closed after the hospital's closure in 1652. The bones were arranged in niches, on the cornices, and adorned the pillars, while the doors were also decorated with them. The bones are from: underprivileged patients who died in the old Brolo hospital; Priors and Brothers who ran the hospital and were executed by decapitation; prisoners who died in prison after the cemetery for prisoners became insufficient in 1622; members of the Milanese nobility who were buried in nearby church tombs.

This ossuary is accessible via the Church of St. Bernardino's main door. After approaching the church's altarpiece from a distance, the instructions point left to the ossuary via a very narrow path. The church’s ceilings being extremely high, the passage, and the ossuary as a small chapel in terms of square meters, but in height, being significantly high in ratio, the distorted feeling leads to a shock when confronted with thousands of skulls and bones displayed in various ways.

The various bone and skull displays carry different connotations. The first ones to catch the eye are those embedded within the walls, stretching over several meters covered with bars. Many of these are arranged on shelves, with skulls forming a "U" shape and bones filling in the gaps. The two larger displays, positioned on the sides, have a more eerie and decorative arrangement, where skulls form a massive cross. The column niches, which separate the recessed displays, feature a more linear composition of skulls and bones crossing one another’s paths.

Above, surrounding the ceiling fresco, skulls align with the extruded lines of the plan, creating a frame for the altar-like decorative compositions. All of these displays are positioned above eye level, contributing to the perception that these elements are "literally decorative" and somehow unnatural. Even if one were aware that these were real skulls, the compositions evoke more of a dark aesthetic mise-en-scène, rather than focusing on the unsettling reality of human remains.

One type of display goes unnoticed when first entering the ossuary. Amid the grand, striking displays on the large walls, the central display framed in marble, and the stunning fresco on the ceiling, a smaller and less orderly display doesn’t immediately capture attention. This more rectangular display, located below the impressive scenes, is a miniature version of the larger embedded displays on the walls. Like those larger displays, these smaller ones are also covered with mesh bars. The arrangement of the bones and skulls appears less detailed, and the placement feels rougher.

The key feature of these displays, however, is their positioning at eye level, which makes them the most important yet overlooked aspect of the chapel. At eye level, the decorative skulls and bones feel much closer to the viewer, serving as a reminder that they are, in fact, real human remains. After encountering this display without noticing/by chance and making "eye contact”, the entire atmosphere of the space shifts, becoming more unsettling. Unable to look away from the composition, now laden with the realization that these remains are nearly 500 years old, visitors are left with a sense of disorientation—distorted in a way they weren’t before.

The Ossuary Chapel of San Bernandino alle Ossa offers a unique and profound experience that lingers long after leaving. The unsettling combination of sacred art and the stark presence of human remains creates a complex emotional response. The space, with its eerie displays of skulls and bones, invites reflection on mortality, the passage of time, and the ever-present connection between life and death. As visitors move through the chapel, the art and the remains seem to speak together, creating a dialogue that is both haunting and contemplative.

The chapel serves not only as a historical site but as a powerful reminder of the fragility of life, compelling those who enter to confront the unsettling beauty that arises when art and death intersect. The experience is one of discomfort, awe, and reverence, leaving a lasting impression that encourages deeper thought about human life.