carved skull and crossbones on the Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen
Dating back to an outbreak of plague in Rouen in 1348, the graveyard of the nearby church of Saint-Maclou filled up and so the Aître Saint-Maclou was built to accommodate the bodies. It was extended in 1526 when a further plague outbreak occurred.
Plague victims' bodies were laid out on the ground floor, while the first floor - which had no windows - was used as an ossuary (for the storage of bones).
The wooden-framed building is carved with skulls, crossbones and other motifs representing death and burial. Perhaps stranger still, it was converted into a school in the 18th century and now houses an art school (l'École régionale des Beaux-Arts).
carved skull and crossbones on the Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen
Dating back to an outbreak of plague in Rouen in 1348, the graveyard of the nearby church of Saint-Maclou filled up and so the Aître Saint-Maclou was built to accommodate the bodies. It was extended in 1526 when a further plague outbreak occurred.
Plague victims' bodies were laid out on the ground floor, while the first floor - which had no windows - was used as an ossuary (for the storage of bones).
The wooden-framed building is carved with skulls, crossbones and other motifs representing death and burial. Perhaps stranger still, it was converted into a school in the 18th century and now houses an art school (l'École régionale des Beaux-Arts).