What is the purpose of this practice?

[Mungo]

I don't see how making them into chandeliers is being treated with great reverance. I know you are Catholic, so you are desensitized to seeing their bodies like the photos portray, but it's really shocking to others. The Bible shows this was a disgrace to dig up their bodies and scatter their bones. This is what is being done to the saints in the catholic church. I know you can see my point.

I'm not aware of any Saint's bones being made into chandeliers. Can you provide some evidence of that?

Saint's bones are not dug up and scattered. When the early Christians were martyred in the Coliseum they were carefully collected and preserved. I am not aware of any Saint's bones being scattered. Do you have any evidence of that?

I notice that the link you gave with all the images gives very little informaion to enable anyone to locate them or verify them.

Contrast that with this from Wikipedia which gives proper information about Papal tombs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extant_papal_tombs
Most of them are in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica.

 

[Sweet Pea]

Here is the church with the bone chandelier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

I read that bones and relics of saints were given to different churches so that many catholic churches could have these relics. I'll have to look at my history or find the source again. This link says that different parts of different saints were wanted. If there is just a skull or a hand, where is the rest of the body? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic

The links do have information... the names of the saints are listed and all you have to do it google it.

I bet many are where you say... you can't really deny the photos. Since you don't seem to believe it, google it. Type in the name of the person and see where their body is.

You just seem to want to deny that the photos are real/accurate... why? We don't need to argue that. It's easily confirmed.

I feel like I got my answer to the OP.

Here is one reference to part: Relics can be entire skeletons, but more usually they consist of a part such as a bone, hair or tooth.
Where are the rest of the bones if they have part?

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/relics.htm I believe I read one part can go to one church and another to another church. Still looking for that link,

If you click on the link there is a list and photos. Bone fragments are listed and shown.

http://www.ichrusa.com/saintsalive/contents.htm

 

[Mungo]

Here is the church with the bone chandelier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

I read that bones and relics of saints were given to different churches so that many catholic churches could have these relics. I'll have to look at my history or find the source again. This link says that different parts of different saints were wanted. If there is just a skull or a hand, where is the rest of the body? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relic

The links do have information... the names of the saints are listed and all you have to do it google it.

I bet many are where you say... you can't really deny the photos. Since you don't seem to believe it, google it. Type in the name of the person and see where their body is.

You just seem to want to deny that the photos are real/accurate... why? We don't need to argue that. It's easily confirmed.

I feel like I got my answer to the OP.

Here is one reference to part: Relics can be entire skeletons, but more usually they consist of a part such as a bone, hair or tooth.
Where are the rest of the bones if they have part?

http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/relics.htm I believe I read one part can go to one church and another to another church. Still looking for that link,

If you click on the link there is a list and photos. Bone fragments are listed and shown.

http://www.ichrusa.com/saintsalive/contents.htm

I’d never come across this before. Not very tasteful is it?

I have been doing some investigation, starting with the Wikipedia link you gave.

This is not a Catholic church as such. It’s the lower vault or crypt being used as a charnel house (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charnel_house).

There are the bones of some 40,000 people there, none of them Saints that we know of.

In 1870, when the bones were arranged like this, the place was owned by the Schwarzenberg family a rich aristocratic family, one of which at the time was Edmund Prince of Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal.

So at this time the re-arrangement was done by a rich aristocratic family who owned the place – nothing to do with the Catholic Church.

As far as I can ascertain it’s the only such bone chandelier in the world.

In summary you are condemning the Catholic Church over one, unique, rather grotesque misuse of bones done, not by the Church, but by a private individual.

 

[Sweet Pea]

I’d never come across this before. Not very tasteful is it?

I have been doing some investigation, starting with the Wikipedia link you gave.

This is not a Catholic church as such. It’s the lower vault or crypt being used as a charnel house (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charnel_house).

There are the bones of some 40,000 people there, none of them Saints that we know of.

In 1870, when the bones were arranged like this, the place was owned by the Schwarzenberg family a rich aristocratic family, one of which at the time was Edmund Prince of Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal.

So at this time the re-arrangement was done by a rich aristocratic family who owned the place – nothing to do with the Catholic Church.

As far as I can ascertain it’s the only such bone chandelier in the world.

In summary you are condemning the Catholic Church over one, unique, rather grotesque misuse of bones done, not by the Church, but by a private individual.

It really is disturbing, isn't it?

I hope you don't think I'm condemning the Catholic Church... what makes you think that? I have a lot of free time so I research religious topics that have to do with Christianity. I do not dislike the Catholic church. I just read about something, that led to one question, that led to another and I wound up seeing those websites and I just wanted to know if it's a biblical practice. I really hope you don't think my intentions are bad. I apologize if I came off the wrong way.

Did you see the skull with the golden mask (original post link). I think that is the photo that had me the most concerned. I think both of those links are disturbing for a lot of people. I really got sick to my stomach and then I wondered if that practice was biblical... that's all.

 

[aspen]

Nice discussion - I would have responded but did not have internet access