11,000 virgins and the Church of St. Ursula

Cologne was the most bombed German city in WW2 with over 262 attacks starting in 1940. From then until March 1st 1945 (when the First Army liberated the city) it was pretty much under continuous attack. So 90% of the city was destroyed. But it's still a very walkable and interesting place. If you were into shopping this place would be paradise - the commercial rents must be low as it has some of the largest stores I have ever seen. But today was all about the story of the 11,000 virgins.... Thanks to Atlas Obscura, I managed to find the tiny Church of St Ursula. I asked about the "Golden Chamber" and a little man said he would unlock the door if I paid €2. He then told me the story of the mass grave that was discovered in 1155 when they were building the church foundations. The monks at the time thought that this must be the missing grave of the British princess St Ursula and the 11,000 virgins (that had been killed by the Huns) so they decided to sell the bones to pay for the new church. However the Pope said they were not allowed to sell the bones, so the monks then decided to make busts of Saints heads, chop off the tops of the heads and then sell the busts with the virgin bones inside. (A cheaper option was just a virgins skull - some still with hair attached, with some bones inside wrapped in a decorated cloth!). They eventually made enough money to finish the Church so used the rest of the bones to decorate the walls. The chamber has been described as a “veritable tsunami of ribs, shoulder blades, and femurs… arranged in zigzags and swirls and even in the shapes of Latin words.” The church is overflowing with virginal bones. One wall is covered entirely in bone, spelling out the phrase “Holy Ursula, Pray For Us.” Ursula left her mark in other ways as well. Besides the Order of Ursulines founded in 1535 to teach young girls, the Virgin Islands were named after her and her band of 11,000 martyred virgins. The place was very spooky and has to be the best €2 I have spent so far!