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Over the past twenty-five years, I am not even sure how many times I have visited Rome. I never get tired of it. It seems that this ancient city continually presents something new to experience each time I set foot on its cobblestone streets.
Always arriving with a plan, I usually forego sleep in order to catch the many things to do here, especially in winter when museums and exhibits close earlier. This time, my Google search for offbeat things to do, had offered up the Museum of the Sanitary Arts and the Museum of the Holy Souls of Purgatory. The first museum was going to be closed on the day of my arrival, but the latter was open until 7 pm. After two of my co-workers expressed interest in doing some sightseeing with me, I decided to take them for a visit to one of my favorite destinations in addition to the Museum of the Holy Souls of Purgatory…The Capuchin Crypt.
The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins), near the Piazza Barberini. It contains the skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order. The bones, later exhumed, were arranged in odd decorative designs and were displayed with the shriveled and decayed skeleton of their fellow friars. The bones have been fashioned into crosses, coats of arms, crowns, rosettes, stars and are set into the ceilings and walls. There are even chandeliers designed from the bones.
There are six total rooms of the crypt. The Crypt of the Resurrection features a picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, framed by various parts of the human skeleton. The Mass Chapel does not contain bones and is used to celebrate Mass. The chapel also contains the tomb of Papal Zouaves, who died defending the Papal States at the battle of Porta Pia. The Crypt of Three Skeletons contains three skeletons, the center enclosed in an oval which represents life coming to birth. The three remaining are the Crypt of the Skulls, Crypt of the Pelvises and the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, the names describing the contents of each.
The Crypt was renovated recently along with the construction of the adjacent Capuchin museum which is now the entrance to the crypt. The museum contains many relics and artifacts that tell the Capuchin story. The exhibition also pays homage to the friars that have been canonized for sainthood.
Years ago, the hotel that we utilized for layovers was located very near to this oddity. Visiting many times, I also took my son there when we were in Rome for his 13th birthday. It is always an intriguing place to visit. Now, with the addition of the museum, it is even more so.
After, our visit to the Crypt, we ventured into the church above the crypt, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuchini. The church was commissioned in 1626, by Pope Urban VIII whose brother was a Capuchin friar. The church was designed by Antonio Casoni and contains a small nave and several side chapels. The chapels are notable as one contains the body of St. Felix of Cantalice and another is the tomb of the Blessed Crispin of Viterbo.
While walking thru the church, we encountered the custodian, Marius Girard. A delightful and friendly man from Sri Lanka, he offered to take us into the rear of the church. Behind the sanctuary, we discovered artworks created by the friars and the side window which is used by the pope to observe mass.
Finally, we departed and headed through the Piazza Barberini down to Via Del Corso. Crossing the Tiber river, near Castel San Angelo, we found Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio (Church of the Sacred Heart of the Suffrage). Appearing quite dark, we thought that the church may have been closed. Finding the door unlocked, however, we headed toward the front of the church, following the sound of a voice. Located within the sacristy, the entry is a door in the sixth pan of the nave on the right. There, we found a young Italian gentleman seated at a desk. Inquiring about the Purgatory Museum, he sat upright and placed a basket on his desk for donations. After we each placed 2 euro in the basket, he grabbed his keys and headed to a doorway behind us. Ushering us into the room, he handed us a laminated guide in English, describing the display. Once he disappeared, we glanced around the small room, and into the next, however, finding that the “museum” was this one small area.
Oh well, it wasn’t the Vatican, but we decided to see what this tiny museum was all about.
A miraculous occurrence happened in the Order of the Sacred Heart’s chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary on July 2, 1897. During a fire, a scorched image of a face was left behind on the wall. The face was believed to be a trapped soul. Victor Jouet, a collector and French missionary, was inspired to build the purgatorial museum due to this occurrence and began to search for testimonies about the souls of Purgatory.
According to Catholic belief, a soul is stranded in purgatory until it atones for its sins, but can hasten its ascent to heaven through the prayers of loved ones still on earth.
A glass case houses many relics, which contain scorched handprints and other burn marks. These imprints are believed to be the product of souls begging their earth-bound loved ones to pray harder. Among the items on display is the nightcap of a man who discovered his deceased wife’s hand prints on it asking him to pray for her. Another amazing item is a book belonging to a woman whose mother-in-law reportedly appeared to her and asked for two masses in her honor. After the wish was fulfilled, a hand print was found on the book as a message of thanksgiving.
A quick walk around the interior of the lovely church was in order after our museum visit. The museum, small, but thought provoking, was certainly worth a half hour of our time. One of those little known places in the Eternal City, which most visitors have never heard of, we can now say that we have been there.
If you are a frequent traveler to Rome, have already seen the famous sights and are looking for something more offbeat, take the time to visit both of these unique institutions. You won’t spend your time waiting in long lines and you will have something intriguing and just a bit wacky to tell your friends and family about after your return.
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Capuchin Crypt and Museum
- Via Veneto 27, Roma 00187
- Hours: 9:00-19:00 (last admission 18:30), Closed December 25
- Admission: 8,50€ Adults, 5,00€ Children under 18 and adults over 65
- Audio guide: 6,00€ double, 4,00€ single, available in Italian and English
- Tours available: 65,00€ Italian, 80,00€ English, Spanish and French
- No pictures are allowed.
Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
- Lungotevere Prati, 12, Roma
- Hours: 9:00-12:30 and 17:00-19:00
- Admission: Free, donations accepted