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Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs
Death has never looked so beautiful. The fully articulated skeleton of a female saint, dressed in an intricate costume of silk brocade and gold lace, withered fingers glittering with colorful rubies, emeralds, and pearls this is only one of the specially photographed relics featured in Heavenly Bodies. In 1578 news came of the discovery in Rome of a labyrinth of underground tombs, which were thought to hold the remains of thousands of early Christian martyrs. Skeletons of these supposed saints were subsequently sent to Catholic churches and religious houses in German-speaking Europe to replace holy relics that had been destroyed in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The skeletons, known as the catacomb saints, were carefully reassembled, richly dressed in fantastic costumes, wigs, crowns, jewels, and armor, and posed in elaborate displays inside churches and shrines as reminders to the faithful of the heavenly treasures that awaited them after death. Paul Koudounaris gained unprecedented access to religious institutions to reveal these fascinating historical artifacts. Hidden for over a century as Western attitudes toward both the worship of holy relics and death itself changed, some of these ornamented skeletons appear in publication here for the first time."
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2013
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About the author
Paul Koudounaris
7 books196 followersPaul Koudounaris is an author and photographer from Los Angeles. He has a PhD in Art History and his publications in the field of charnel house and ossuary research have made him a well-known figure in the field of macabre art and art history. He is a member of The Order of the Good Death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
July 3, 2015
I was taken in by the skeleton porn. Yep. I just said it. I have a fascination with skeletons. It's an addiction.
Seriously, though, my first thought, on hearing about this book was "how can I leverage this for a D&D campaign?" Yes, I was in it for the Liches.
But Paul Koudounaris has provided something here far better than glitzy photos of gaudy corpses. He has provided here a fascinating history of these artifacts and, more importantly, their effect on the people who hosted them. The primary focus here is on how the bejewelled saints came to be politico-religious tools in the German-speaking Counter-Reformation, their symbolism and status (people named their children after these dead saints, which gives an idea of the high regard they were held in), and how they fell out of favor and into disuse as the world of religion moved into the modern age and what this did to the feeling of community within a village that had hosted these relics, sometimes for centuries. This is social history with a shiny "pop" veneer, and it works very well. Reading this along with Norman Cohn's Pursuit of the Millenium could provide an interesting window on the subject of religious devotion in the Germanic countries during the Renaissance and Early Modern eras.
The little story of Alexander and Calepodius, whose jewels were stripped and whose skeletons were to be disposed of with the secularization of the nunnery at Unterzell, Germany in 1803, is amazing. A parish priest from a nearby village snuck in with conspirators and stole the bones. They were handed down, in secret, for generations over 102 years(!), then gifted to the city's church, where they are still preserved. What devotion! This is the sort of history that I like - the monumental (literally speaking) efforts which people undertook to show their dedication to a belief is commendable, even if you don't believe in the doctrine.
And besides . . . Liches!!!
Seriously, though, my first thought, on hearing about this book was "how can I leverage this for a D&D campaign?" Yes, I was in it for the Liches.
But Paul Koudounaris has provided something here far better than glitzy photos of gaudy corpses. He has provided here a fascinating history of these artifacts and, more importantly, their effect on the people who hosted them. The primary focus here is on how the bejewelled saints came to be politico-religious tools in the German-speaking Counter-Reformation, their symbolism and status (people named their children after these dead saints, which gives an idea of the high regard they were held in), and how they fell out of favor and into disuse as the world of religion moved into the modern age and what this did to the feeling of community within a village that had hosted these relics, sometimes for centuries. This is social history with a shiny "pop" veneer, and it works very well. Reading this along with Norman Cohn's Pursuit of the Millenium could provide an interesting window on the subject of religious devotion in the Germanic countries during the Renaissance and Early Modern eras.
The little story of Alexander and Calepodius, whose jewels were stripped and whose skeletons were to be disposed of with the secularization of the nunnery at Unterzell, Germany in 1803, is amazing. A parish priest from a nearby village snuck in with conspirators and stole the bones. They were handed down, in secret, for generations over 102 years(!), then gifted to the city's church, where they are still preserved. What devotion! This is the sort of history that I like - the monumental (literally speaking) efforts which people undertook to show their dedication to a belief is commendable, even if you don't believe in the doctrine.
And besides . . . Liches!!!
August 2, 2017
I loved this book. You can't see me, but I'm hugging it. Lapsed Catholic that I am, I still love me some weird saintly tales and gruesome relics. The German Counter-Reformation custom of ordering a skeleton from the Catacombs of Priscilla, having them prettied up by the nuns and then displayed is just made for me.
This hardcover book is full of colour photographs, taken with affection and skill. The text is also very informative, well researched, and footnoted.
The highest praise I can give this book is that it made me think about the Sacred and want to write about it, so I think I'll be writing up some notes. Grim those these things are, at the time and even to a small amount in the present day, they were and are citizens of their communities. I would like to write about that also.
This hardcover book is full of colour photographs, taken with affection and skill. The text is also very informative, well researched, and footnoted.
The highest praise I can give this book is that it made me think about the Sacred and want to write about it, so I think I'll be writing up some notes. Grim those these things are, at the time and even to a small amount in the present day, they were and are citizens of their communities. I would like to write about that also.
August 25, 2015
Heavenly Bodies toes the line between coffee-table book and pop-history tome. In both departments it delivers the goods; there are many, many beautiful pictures of creepy skeletons encrusted with gold and jewels, and the history of the so-called "Catacomb Saints" is presented well. There's a certain sly humor to the text, as the author felt content to let the unreality of the source material do the talking rather than playing it up for extra snark. I liked that.
On the whole, I recommend this book for anyone with a yen for interesting history...or people who just like skeletons. :)
On the whole, I recommend this book for anyone with a yen for interesting history...or people who just like skeletons. :)
July 10, 2025
I love macabre art that isn't just gratuitous corpse porn, and photographer and art historian Paul Koudounaris' work in the field of charnel houses and ossuaries is my favorite because he always strikes a perfect balance between beautiful photos of human remains and well-researched, educational accompanying text—this particular one was dense enough to feel more academic than pop-history!
Heavenly Bodies is about the fascinating history of the many Katakombenheilige that flooded into the German speaking world during the Counter-Reformation, and Koudounaris—who in many cases was granted unprecedented access to photograph artifacts that have been kept hidden from the public for generations due to changing Western attitudes towards not just holy relics, but death itself—goes well beyond simply publishing pretty pictures of bejeweled skeletons.
The so-called catacomb saints were alleged martyrs from the Roman catacombs, transported across the Alps as raw bones, and then decorated with gems and gold, richly dressed in glory, and posed in elaborate displays inside Catholic churches. In essence, they were propaganda—ideological weapons in the Catholic battle against spreading Protestantism, a way to strengthen the modern Church's position by establishing continuity with the earlier one. It worked, as these relics inspired cults of devotion in the communities they ended up in that sometimes lasted centuries.
Koudounaris, a skilled photographer and compassionate writer, doesn't only write about why and how these ornamented skeletons came to be, but also about what they meant to the communities who received them, as well as what happened when they fell out of favor due to secularization in the 19th century. A lovely book to leaf through—I would however improve on the text layout, since the font gets smaller after each chapter's first paragraph to the point that I found it rather hard to read.
Heavenly Bodies is about the fascinating history of the many Katakombenheilige that flooded into the German speaking world during the Counter-Reformation, and Koudounaris—who in many cases was granted unprecedented access to photograph artifacts that have been kept hidden from the public for generations due to changing Western attitudes towards not just holy relics, but death itself—goes well beyond simply publishing pretty pictures of bejeweled skeletons.
The so-called catacomb saints were alleged martyrs from the Roman catacombs, transported across the Alps as raw bones, and then decorated with gems and gold, richly dressed in glory, and posed in elaborate displays inside Catholic churches. In essence, they were propaganda—ideological weapons in the Catholic battle against spreading Protestantism, a way to strengthen the modern Church's position by establishing continuity with the earlier one. It worked, as these relics inspired cults of devotion in the communities they ended up in that sometimes lasted centuries.
Koudounaris, a skilled photographer and compassionate writer, doesn't only write about why and how these ornamented skeletons came to be, but also about what they meant to the communities who received them, as well as what happened when they fell out of favor due to secularization in the 19th century. A lovely book to leaf through—I would however improve on the text layout, since the font gets smaller after each chapter's first paragraph to the point that I found it rather hard to read.
October 28, 2016
A truly beautiful and brilliant book. This records the history and significance of the myriad catacomb saints that flooded into the German speaking world during the Counter Reformation. Yes for some this book could be considered morbid, but that opinion merely reveals a distinctly modern, distinctly Protestant sensibility. Personally I found the book deeply moving both artistically and spiritually, an experience that mirrors my personal experience of encountering these relics in the flesh so to speak. The photography is stunning and displays the best examples of this demonstration of faith that have survived. My reading of the book has certainly added a view places to my 'to be visited' list. The history of these relics is described from their discovery through to their ultimate contemporary fate and is a fascinating and moving story of faith and reverence. I am glad that I finally treated myself to this book.
August 24, 2015
I highly enjoyed reading Heavenly Bodies, and found it absolutely fascinating. Koudounaris strikes a good balance between illustrated coffee table book and academic treatise, and does an excellent job of exploring the role of the catacomb saints in post-Reformation Catholicism. The accompanying photographs of the saintly decorated skeletons that have survived to the modern day are wonderful, as text alone couldn't begin to describe them.
July 23, 2015
Beautiful, but suffers from having a small format. The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses by the same author has photos and discussion of unadorned skeletons of the Paris catacombs, as well as from other ossuaries and charnel houses. I wish this book had been produced as it was.
January 22, 2018
this was such a cool book. the pictures are gorgeous, and the prose includes the phrase "anachronistic to the point of seeming surreal," which i want on a plaque next to my decorated skeleton after the organ transplant teams and body farms are done with it when i die (i have Plans)
January 21, 2015
Five stars so far, just for the photographs.
March 28, 2022
I don't often read nonfiction but what I could appreciate about this volume was that it feels like a coffee table book but also delivers a great amount of information that's easy to digest as you stare at the beautifully decorated bones and jewelry.
February 21, 2018
This beautiful book is jammed full of bejeweled skeletons, which is why I bought it. The text, however, is the reason I'll keep it. Paul Koudonaris writes with sympathy about why these bones were unearthed, what they meant to the people whose churches received them, and what happened to them after times and beliefs changed. Although the true identities of these bones will never be known, they were for a while considered emissaries of God: posed, displayed, dressed in jewels. Some few of them still reside in places of honor, while others have been consigned to boxes or closets or store rooms.
This was an amazing, surprising book, one I'm extremely glad to own.
This was an amazing, surprising book, one I'm extremely glad to own.
May 2, 2025
i was recommended a reel on this and then coincidentally read michon’s winter mythologies and abbots, which has a few stories related to the construction of the skeletons as well as their saintly reputations. this is a coffee table primer on the subject, which is about as much information i can tolerate…i unfortunately do agree w the sentiments of many of the protestant critics quoted here. bejeweled, beautiful, but grotesque. i say this, but i’ll be visiting the sedlec ossuary soon, so...
March 26, 2020
book treasure
November 22, 2020
This is a beautiful book, well-written and in-depth on each aspect covered. This is a jewel in its own right and a must-read for anyone curious about the catacomb saints and their fates.
February 7, 2023
To be perfectly honest this book should be shelved under tales of the wonderfully eccentric and fun - the whole subject is crazy - skeletons dug up in Rome in the 17th century in various ancient Roman catacombs and all announced with enormous fanfare but on slender/dubious/optimistic (choose according to your own prejudice) evidence as the remains of early 'catacomb martyrs/saints' and given lovely if unlikely names and back stories - were parcelled up and sent out into (mostly) Wittelsbach and Habsburg territories were the catholic counter Reformation was in full vigour. There the skeletons were reassembled by pious nuns who made elaborate embroidered clothes to dress them in and opulent crowns and jewels made of glass and placed in elaborate glass fronted reliquaries. They were then part of the revived cult of saints relics which flourished on and off for over a hundred years until changes in religious practice gradually relegated these extraordinary objects to ever more obscure dark corners and eventually backrooms and storage areas were there very existence was often denied.
I refuse to comment on either the genuineness of the relics or about the religious culture they embody. I just think they are wonderful and the photographs are utterly stunning. A brilliantly interesting and fun book.
I refuse to comment on either the genuineness of the relics or about the religious culture they embody. I just think they are wonderful and the photographs are utterly stunning. A brilliantly interesting and fun book.
Read
April 22, 2024a photobook documenting a curious phenomenon in church history, wherein skeletons disinterred from catacombs in Rome were transported all over Europe, and garbed in extravagant jewelry, pearls, gold filigree, out of the belief that they were martyrs who chose death and persecution over apostasy of their faith during pagan Rome. This book describes the attempts of authentication of martyrdom, the schisms resulting in the church over proper treatment or veneration, and the use of these remains to strengthen and uphold claims of Catholic continuity during the period of the Reformation.
July 25, 2025
This book has been on my shelves for almost ten years - glad I finally got around to reading it. 3,5 stars.
Beautiful photos, though at times somewhat creepy (a me-problem). This book is rightfully dedicated to all the hands of artisans (mainly nuns) that helped adorn the remains of these 'saints' from the Roman catacombs. The accompanying text is interesting and covers the history, local importance and downfall of this type of saint veneration in southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria.. but the way it was written at times didn't really agree with me (too sensational, like I was watching a History channel documentary), though this became better in the latter half of the book. A nice introduction to the topic, but the real stars of the book remain the photographs.
Beautiful photos, though at times somewhat creepy (a me-problem). This book is rightfully dedicated to all the hands of artisans (mainly nuns) that helped adorn the remains of these 'saints' from the Roman catacombs. The accompanying text is interesting and covers the history, local importance and downfall of this type of saint veneration in southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria.. but the way it was written at times didn't really agree with me (too sensational, like I was watching a History channel documentary), though this became better in the latter half of the book. A nice introduction to the topic, but the real stars of the book remain the photographs.
April 17, 2020
Pensaba que iba a ser un libro con fotos espectaculares y algo de texto genérico, pero es un libro con fotos espectaculares y textos interesantes profundos y bien documentados. Si consigues encontrarlo (está descatalogado en castellano), merece la pena.
February 14, 2024
I love me a macabre coffee-table book that also contains plenty of academic research, so how could I not love Heavenly Bodies?
I can't help but feel sad for the catacomb saints, once so beloved, then reviled.
I can't help but feel sad for the catacomb saints, once so beloved, then reviled.
December 16, 2024
Amazing photos especially the glass eyes, silk covered skulls, and the Roman soldier armor. I’ve seen some bones in cathedrals In Europe. And knew they probably belonged to Saints. But I never knew the impact they had on the Roman Catholics throughout Western Europe in the 16th and 17th century.
Also the real life Saints names in this book Valerius, Konstantius, and Severina go crazy.
Also the real life Saints names in this book Valerius, Konstantius, and Severina go crazy.
January 18, 2014
This is a gorgeous book with lovely photos. I enjoyed Dr Koustounis’ last book ‘Th e Empire of Death’ which was about ossuaries and charnel houses and this is even better.
Jewelled Bodies, or Dead Blingers, is the story of the Catholic Church’s PR efforts to counteract the effect that the Reformation had on some of its basic beliefs. This was the worship and praying to religious relics. The emerging Protestant church saw it as idolatry as it believed that worshippers weren’t praying to God when they when they prayed to a relic but a mere shinbone or finger or twist of hair. Relics were, and are, a memento mori and become a way of summoning the dead.
Dr Kountonis has done his research thoroughly and the is book began when he was researching sites on his last one. Whilst visiting church, a local took him aside and asked if he wanted to see a skeleton, covered in jewels, standing up and holding out a cup of its own blood to the onlooker. Who couldn’t resist such an invitation? So he followed the local to an isolated church in nearby woods and there was the figure. When the author returned a few years later the church had vanished and no-one knew what had become of the skeleton. So this book is a way of recording these once deified objects which once had pride of place in small town churches and were part of community life until tastes changed and they were either hidden from view or destroyed.
In the 16th century, in 1578 to be exact, a vineyard worker stumbled upon catacombs in which Rome interred its dead. They’d been abandoned for centuries as burial sites and the remains dated from 2-5th centures BC. The Catholic church realised that these anonymous bones could be of use to them in reaffirming faith in the face of the Reformation. And so they romanticised their find by immediately assuming that the bones belonged to early Christian martyrs and saints. This was done on very flimsy evidence as the bones could have belonged to anyone and there was scant identifying information with the bones.
Papal secretaries were assigned to authenticate in a fairly relaxed manner i.e if a skeleton had M on it then it must mean Martyr and the word Pax had to mean that the deceased was a Christian. There were also clerical mediums who apparently communed with the inhabitants of the catacombs. After selection the articulated skeletons were sent off to convents for the nuns to create the dazzling costumes and ornamentation required for whatever saint the body was supposed to be. St Valentine was the most popular and there was also a St Anonymous. No-one ever seemed to query that there could be 2 figures of the same saint within a town. Sometimes it wasn’t even a complete skeleton but a skull or a skeletal limb that was on display.
The decoration could take between 5-10 years as the work was so detailed. There were variations in decoration according to the convent; some put wax faces on the skulls which has an unsettling effect on the viewer to say the least , gold wire to recreate hair and different poses as well as outfits, even a suit of armour. The work is extremely fine with the ribcage exposed to show that it was a skeleton. The jewellery wasn’t real and was made from glass, from either Venice or Bavaria but it was still expensive. Local aristocrats or guilds could also sponsor the saints. Dr Kostounis has managed to attribute the intricate work on some of them to one nun but mostly the creators remain anonymous.
Then once work was complete the skeletons were sent to their respective new homes with paperwork apparently confirming that they were a certain saint. The villagers must have been dazzled by the creation that arrived and was installed in their local church. The saints often became part of village life and were carried proudly aloft during processions as a source of local pride that they had been so honoured . The largest number of them are in the Basilica at Waldsassen which has 10.
They were usually in one of the three poses, recumbent in a alcove like a 1930’s Hollywood screen goddess, standing up or seated. The latter was the most difficult to create. Then came the Enlightenment in the 18th century and tastes changed. The skeletons were deemed macabre and shouldn’t be on display. After all, no-one even knew what sex these people were, let alone whether they were Christians or pagans. And so the skeletons vanished; either walled up, hidden behind hangings or simply removed never to be seen again.
Dr Kostounis reveals what happened next to some of them as they have returned to the anonymity from which they came. The research has been meticulous in shedding light on a little know n area od Church history. The book also discusses the faith in relics and the creation of the body as a fetish object rather as the Celts venerated their dead with their worship of heads. A stunning and fascinating book containing the author’s photos of these gilded and bejewelled peacocks which give an interesting insight into the nature of faith and politics in the face of an upheaval in religious beliefs.
Jewelled Bodies, or Dead Blingers, is the story of the Catholic Church’s PR efforts to counteract the effect that the Reformation had on some of its basic beliefs. This was the worship and praying to religious relics. The emerging Protestant church saw it as idolatry as it believed that worshippers weren’t praying to God when they when they prayed to a relic but a mere shinbone or finger or twist of hair. Relics were, and are, a memento mori and become a way of summoning the dead.
Dr Kountonis has done his research thoroughly and the is book began when he was researching sites on his last one. Whilst visiting church, a local took him aside and asked if he wanted to see a skeleton, covered in jewels, standing up and holding out a cup of its own blood to the onlooker. Who couldn’t resist such an invitation? So he followed the local to an isolated church in nearby woods and there was the figure. When the author returned a few years later the church had vanished and no-one knew what had become of the skeleton. So this book is a way of recording these once deified objects which once had pride of place in small town churches and were part of community life until tastes changed and they were either hidden from view or destroyed.
In the 16th century, in 1578 to be exact, a vineyard worker stumbled upon catacombs in which Rome interred its dead. They’d been abandoned for centuries as burial sites and the remains dated from 2-5th centures BC. The Catholic church realised that these anonymous bones could be of use to them in reaffirming faith in the face of the Reformation. And so they romanticised their find by immediately assuming that the bones belonged to early Christian martyrs and saints. This was done on very flimsy evidence as the bones could have belonged to anyone and there was scant identifying information with the bones.
Papal secretaries were assigned to authenticate in a fairly relaxed manner i.e if a skeleton had M on it then it must mean Martyr and the word Pax had to mean that the deceased was a Christian. There were also clerical mediums who apparently communed with the inhabitants of the catacombs. After selection the articulated skeletons were sent off to convents for the nuns to create the dazzling costumes and ornamentation required for whatever saint the body was supposed to be. St Valentine was the most popular and there was also a St Anonymous. No-one ever seemed to query that there could be 2 figures of the same saint within a town. Sometimes it wasn’t even a complete skeleton but a skull or a skeletal limb that was on display.
The decoration could take between 5-10 years as the work was so detailed. There were variations in decoration according to the convent; some put wax faces on the skulls which has an unsettling effect on the viewer to say the least , gold wire to recreate hair and different poses as well as outfits, even a suit of armour. The work is extremely fine with the ribcage exposed to show that it was a skeleton. The jewellery wasn’t real and was made from glass, from either Venice or Bavaria but it was still expensive. Local aristocrats or guilds could also sponsor the saints. Dr Kostounis has managed to attribute the intricate work on some of them to one nun but mostly the creators remain anonymous.
Then once work was complete the skeletons were sent to their respective new homes with paperwork apparently confirming that they were a certain saint. The villagers must have been dazzled by the creation that arrived and was installed in their local church. The saints often became part of village life and were carried proudly aloft during processions as a source of local pride that they had been so honoured . The largest number of them are in the Basilica at Waldsassen which has 10.
They were usually in one of the three poses, recumbent in a alcove like a 1930’s Hollywood screen goddess, standing up or seated. The latter was the most difficult to create. Then came the Enlightenment in the 18th century and tastes changed. The skeletons were deemed macabre and shouldn’t be on display. After all, no-one even knew what sex these people were, let alone whether they were Christians or pagans. And so the skeletons vanished; either walled up, hidden behind hangings or simply removed never to be seen again.
Dr Kostounis reveals what happened next to some of them as they have returned to the anonymity from which they came. The research has been meticulous in shedding light on a little know n area od Church history. The book also discusses the faith in relics and the creation of the body as a fetish object rather as the Celts venerated their dead with their worship of heads. A stunning and fascinating book containing the author’s photos of these gilded and bejewelled peacocks which give an interesting insight into the nature of faith and politics in the face of an upheaval in religious beliefs.
July 5, 2023
The pictures are GORGEOUS, and the accompanying background info is just as wild.
Bone mosaic walls? Sapphire eyes? Baptizing unknown skeletons to learn their name? Christians are insane.
Bone mosaic walls? Sapphire eyes? Baptizing unknown skeletons to learn their name? Christians are insane.
January 2, 2025
Gorgeous gothic photographs and an awesome coffee table book. The quality of the prints is very high, but I would have liked to see a photo of each church/cathedral alongside those of the relics residing in them. The text is interesting at times, but also not that inspiring or creative. Typical catalogue text mostly.
January 7, 2015
This is a very interesting, though somewhat bizarre, book.
The Heavenly Bodies in question are the Catacomb Saints. Remains of early Christian burials that were dug up by the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation and sent to the Germanic parts of Europe to replace the relics that had been destroyed by the Protestants.
It was when the bones got to their destinations that the really weird part begins. They were lavishly decorated with precious gems and metals, and glorious fabrics, and set up in shrines.
Some of the photos have to be seen to be believed.
Morbid, fascinating, grotesque, occasionally beautiful, the remaining Catacomb Saints photographed for the book have transcended mortal remains to become immortal works of art.
The Heavenly Bodies in question are the Catacomb Saints. Remains of early Christian burials that were dug up by the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation and sent to the Germanic parts of Europe to replace the relics that had been destroyed by the Protestants.
It was when the bones got to their destinations that the really weird part begins. They were lavishly decorated with precious gems and metals, and glorious fabrics, and set up in shrines.
Some of the photos have to be seen to be believed.
Morbid, fascinating, grotesque, occasionally beautiful, the remaining Catacomb Saints photographed for the book have transcended mortal remains to become immortal works of art.
September 26, 2013
I wound up getting a copy of this in UK before it was released in the USA--it since to have come out in Europe a month earlier. I liked the author's previous book Empire of Death, but in some ways I liked this one more. The photos are really riveting, utterly bizarre but also utterly beautiful. But the thing that I really liked about it more was just the text, which I thought was very well written, very readable, and very empathic, especially in the last chapter. I would recommend this for people who like macabre art and visual culture, religious history, and just anyone who likes interesting and obscure bits of history.
January 6, 2014
Another fascinating book! I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture and book signing by Dr. Koudounaris - and was it ever entertaining and lively! Like the first book, Empire of the Dead, Heavenly Bodies is full of stunning photographs for this unique and unknown to me practice of decorated skeletal relics. Dr. Koudonaris's detailed research shows in every page. I recommend this for the serious scholar, for the collectors of all things bizarre, or if you're just merely curious and want to be entertained by strange but true tales. I am simply amazed by the craftsmanship of these decorated skeletons and glad to see that they have an attentive audience once again.
September 2, 2018
Beautifully illustrated with many color photographs, this is an excellent book about “saintly” bones which were removed from the Roman catacombs and sent to churches throughout Europe (this book is mainly about Germany & Austria), where they were lavishly decorated and venerated from the 17th to early 19th centuries.
July 28, 2025
Drip till I drown (and after too)
P.S. I did not read any of the words.....
P.S. I did not read any of the words.....
January 30, 2024
This was a fascinating read, in no small part because I had never heard of the Catacomb Saints. The photographs are particularly wonderful, the detailed ornamentation of the skeletons strangely fascinating (how many hours of goldwork!), and this is the reason why I purchased the book. It is so much more than a picture-book though!
Koudounaris does a great job of explaining the history of the Katakombenheiligen, including the logistics of how these skeletal remains were sanctified, transported, and installed in churches, monasteries and convents in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland as a way to strengthen the Catholic church during the Counter-Reformation. He explains how they became important objects in their local communities, both to strengthen faith, and to strengthen the reputation and finances of town and church. Yet ultimately, they become an embarrassment, and not only because their identity as saints and martyrs are questionable, but because as a society we now reject the idea of venerating relics.
I am left with question of what to do with these relics of the past. Is there still meaning in these bones? How do we deal with them now? What do we believe about them now? Do they belong in churches, in museums? Should those bones finally be returned to the earth for burial, or left in church attics? Why was their veneration so important to earlier societies? Was it weird? Have we really moved on? Can they be studied to tell us something useful about our past?
The book ends suddenly, a little unsatisfactorily. I still have so many questions, as you can see!
Koudounaris does a great job of explaining the history of the Katakombenheiligen, including the logistics of how these skeletal remains were sanctified, transported, and installed in churches, monasteries and convents in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland as a way to strengthen the Catholic church during the Counter-Reformation. He explains how they became important objects in their local communities, both to strengthen faith, and to strengthen the reputation and finances of town and church. Yet ultimately, they become an embarrassment, and not only because their identity as saints and martyrs are questionable, but because as a society we now reject the idea of venerating relics.
I am left with question of what to do with these relics of the past. Is there still meaning in these bones? How do we deal with them now? What do we believe about them now? Do they belong in churches, in museums? Should those bones finally be returned to the earth for burial, or left in church attics? Why was their veneration so important to earlier societies? Was it weird? Have we really moved on? Can they be studied to tell us something useful about our past?
The book ends suddenly, a little unsatisfactorily. I still have so many questions, as you can see!
November 20, 2018
A beautifully illustrated book on a very interesting topic. Koudounaris explores the trade in skeletal remains believed to be those of early Christian saints in post-Reformation Europe. The skeletons, usually impossible to identify, were used to strengthen and legitimize the Catholic church in a time of crisis and the skeletons were received with awe in many a Central European village, where they were decorated and exhibited or even paraded around town on special days. Much of the book is made up of the most exquisite yet macabre photographs taken by Koudounaris around Central Europe, showing off the rich splendor of the Catholic church. Highly recommended for the historically interested with a taste for the macabre.
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