Capela dos Ossos ("Chapel of Bones") is perhaps Évora's most prominent attraction. It is a small 17th-century chapel right next to the Church of St. Francis.
Its name derives from its interior walls, which are covered with human skulls and bones originally used by Franciscan monks to remind people of the ephemeral nature of life. Approximately 5,000 corpses were exhumed to decorate the walls of the chapel. Besides the spiritual message, there was also a practical pressing issue: Évora had then over 40 graveyards, which were discontinued to provide new land for other constructions in the growing city. In this sense, no skeleton ended up going to waste.
People may this place scary, morbid, intriguing or beautiful. It is certainly an interesting attraction to visit while in Évora!