They called them Catacoḥas Saiḥts, the corpses of ancient Romans excavated from the catacombs of Rome, and fake bodies were delivered and found abroad as relics of the Saḥts of the 16th to 8th centuries. 19. It is lavishly decorated as you can see below.

But why? Why was it so lavishly decorated? Are they really like that or has something happened? Well, they are not strictly speaking statues, although some may be early Christian martyrs. In the 15th century, Western Europe was shaken by the Bildestorm (statue rage), a term used to describe the rampant destruction of religious images. During these various periods, Catholic art and popular forms of church decoration and fittings were destroyed during formal occasions or crowds.

When Catholic churches were systematically stripped of their statues, the Vatican came up with a rather strange solution. They ordered thousands of skeletons to be removed from the catacombs of Rome and installed in towers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Few, if any, of the bodies belonged to people of religious importance, but they were decorated as if they were satyrs.

Skeletons have become a gruesome symbol of Catholicism in areas dominated by protesters. Their function is clear, but from the 19th century onwards they became a shameful symbol of past frictions. Although it is considered a tradition and the sale of skeletons or their jewellery is prohibited, some “unimportant” priests undertake expensive expeditions across the country for a certain amount of money.

In 1803, the secular judge of Rothbach in Paria awarded the town’s saints. 174 years later, in 1977, the townspeople raised their voices to demand their return, but for the most part, the Catacomb Saints were forgotten and abandoned.

But their return to the forefront came in 2013, when Paul Coudoubaris sparked his interest in them with his new profession, in which he attempted to photograph and document every visitor to the catacombs. It is unclear whether he actually did so, but he certainly succeeded in drawing public attention to them. He explains:

“They must be controlled by people who have taken a sacred oath to the Church; these people are supposed to be martyrs and no one can control them. They are symbols of the faith of victory and are classified as saints in cities. One of the reasons why it is important is not because of its spiritual value, which has great value, but because of its social importance.

But their moment of re-introduction came in 2013, when Paul Codoubaris sparked an interest in them through his new work, in which he attempted to photograph and document every visitor to the catacombs. It is unclear whether he actually did so, but he certainly succeeded in drawing the public’s attention. He explains:

“They must be controlled by people who have taken a sacred oath to the Church; these people are supposed to be martyrs and no one can control them. They are symbols of the faith of victory and are classified as saints in cities. One of the reasons why it is important is not because of its spiritual value, which has great value, but because of its social importance.

He also added that over time their messages changed, from religious symbols to symbols of the city.

“It is supposed to work miracles and strengthen people’s relationships with their partners.” He added: “There are no valuable modern abilities placed in skeletons.