00:00It's a sight that has sent shivers down the spines of visitors for centuries.
00:04At the Bands Monastery Church in southern Germany, four complete skeletons sit draped
00:10in silk, brocade and precious stones.
00:13Known as the Catacomb Saints, these remains, Vincentius, Valerius, Benedictus and Felis
00:19Benedictus, were brought from Rome during the late 17th and 18th centuries to enhance
00:24the status of the Bavarian Monastery.
00:27Church Custodians admit the sight can be creepy, with hollow eye sockets that seem to stare
00:33back at the living.
00:34It was at the end of the 30-year-old war, it was a terrible time.
00:39Three half of the German people came over, wars, diseases, etc., it was terrible, even here.
00:46And there was tried to open the door to the sky through the baroque, that's why it was
00:52all so beautifully constructed.
00:53You just wanted to, it was a flood from the desert, which was often so bad.
00:58And that's why you also had these gruselous skeletons beautifully draped and as well as
01:04alive.
01:06These holy bodies are kept out of sight for most of the year, hidden behind wooden panels.
01:12They are only revealed on special occasions such as All Saints Day, serving as a gilded reminder
01:17of a time when relics were the ultimate symbol of spiritual power.
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