Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa

It is close to the Duomo. The ossuary is not big, but fascinating. The ceiling is nicely painted. The walls are decorated with human bones and skulls. The atmosphere is not crowded.

Impressive place, interesting for the Catholic iconography and attractive architecture. Always interesting to see the difference between Catholic churches and Protestant places. Domed roof rather attractive. Free to enter and look around. Quiet inside. Good place to sit. Steady stream of tourists but not too busy generally.

As with every church I stumbled on in Milan, the inside was absolutely breathtaking. So many intricate details and beautiful art adorning the walls and ceiling. A nice, lighter breath of fresh air compared to the other sanctuary room a few steps away… But you cannot miss the other room! It’s macabre and fascinating all at once. The sheer number of bones on the walls was enough to make me shudder. A fascinating experience.

The San Bernardino alle Ossa Sanctuary is one of the most fascinating and unusual places in Milan. The small chapel filled with human bones creates a powerful, almost mystical atmosphere that leaves a lasting impression. It’s not a typical tourist attraction, but definitely worth a visit if you want to experience something truly unique and a bit eerie, away from the usual sightseeing paths.

Must-visit church in Milan. Very eerie and mysterious atmosphere, with walls full of skulls and bones. You’re allowed to take pictures inside—just make sure to avoid using flash.

You should visit here to see the skull collection in the church. We find it quite interesting why a church has such a collection. Is it to scare or make people to think of their precious time in the world or remind them of the death or the Creator? It is free and everyone should visit this place to question and observe.

Tucked just off Piazza Santo Stefano, Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa is a quietly haunting gem of Baroque Milan. At first, its exterior seems modest—a simple octagonal façade that belies the intensity within . Step inside, and a narrow corridor leads you into the ossuary chapel, whose walls, pilasters, and cornices are meticulously clad in human skulls and bones arranged like eerie Rococo decorations . Above this macabre display, the ceiling soars with a luminous fresco by Sebastiano Ricci—The Triumph of Souls in a Flight of Angels—that creates a striking contrast between death and the divine . The chapel feels like a deeply reflective memento mori, reminding you of mortality while offering beauty and solemn awe . For history lovers, the ossuary’s bones are believed to be remains from the nearby hospital cemetery, artfully reorganized after a 17th-century collapse and reconstructed in 1695 . A legend even says King John V of Portugal was so moved that he replicated it in Évora.

Just a short stroll from the Duomo, I ducked into the Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa and found myself face-to-face with walls tiled in real skulls and bones, thousands of them stacked from floor to frescoed ceiling. The chapel dates back to the 1200s, so every corridor creaks with history yet entry is completely free