The strangest sight in Rome, if not all of Italy, one literally has to see this crypt to believe it, and even then it is hard to know what to make of it.
The bodies of thousands of Capuchin friars and poor Romans rest under the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini in Rome, their bones decorating the walls and ceilings of five small chapels, like an art exhibit. Even the light fixtures in the hallway leading to the vaults are made of bones. Only the Mass Chapel is free of bones as it is used for the celebration of Mass.
History of the Crypt of the Capuchins
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Capuchin friars (named for the hood or “capuche” fastened to their religious habit) left the friary of St. Bonaventure, taking with them the remains of their deceased, moving to their current location of which today only the church and cemetery remain.
The bones of the deceased were arranged along the walls and ceilings of the vaults, while the new friars continued to bury their own dead here.
It was to the crypt that the friars would come each evening to pray.
Crypt of the Skulls
One of the more shocking rooms is the Crypt of the Skulls. By counting the skulls in this vault, one can truly appreciate the sheer number of bodies actually housed here.
Most of the skulls are nailed to the back of the room, forming a wall with three connecting arches at the top. In front of this wall of skulls, stand the skeletons of three Capuchin friars, vested in their habits.
Each side wall contains the skeletons of two Capuchins resting in curved niches made out of what looks to be leg and arm bones intermingled with skulls.
The ceiling is a decorative motif, made up of vertebrae, ribs and other small bones, in which three striking circles of flowers dominate the room.
Crypt of the Pelvises
Similar in design to the Crypt of Skulls is the Crypt of Pelvises. Again, the side walls contain two Capuchin friars serenely reclining in an arched niche of bones.
At the rear of the vault, pelvis bones form the backdrop for three Capuchins, but these cloaked-skeletons are all leaning forward. Over the backdrop is a canopy of pelvises, from which hangs a fringe of vertebrae.
The central rosette in this vault is formed by seven shoulder-blades with hangings also made of vertebrae.
Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones
The greatest number of bones can be found in the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones.
The two side walls of this vault are formed from leg and thigh bones piled on top of each other, and then intermixed with skulls. Each side wall contains four niches large enough to occupy the skeleton of a Capuchin friar, standing and vested in his habit.
Rows of skulls interspersed with what appear to be rows of thigh bones form pillars that are joined by an arch in the centre of the back wall. Under the arch, is the Franciscan coat of arms (Christ's bare arm crossing the clothed arm of St Francis, surmounted by a crown of vertebrae). On the outer sides of these pillars, the walls are covered by stacks of leg bones that meet the side walls at its edges.
On the ceiling of the vault, there are two large flowers made out of shoulder-blades with hanging vertebrae and in between them is a large oval frame made up of jawbones, also with decorated vertebrae.
In the ground, 18 crosses mark the graves of various Capuchin friars.
Crypt of the Three Skeletons and Crypt of the Resurrection
In the Crypt of the Three Skeletons, there are two Capuchin friars against the back wall each holding a skull with wings made from shoulder-blades.
On the ceiling of the vault, a skeleton hangs amidst a halo of small bones, which supposedly represents the symbol of life coming to birth. In its right hand the skeleton holds a scythe, which is death. Despite the name of the room, there are two additional Capuchins resting in curved niches made out bones on either side of the room.
One would be hard-pressed to call the decoration in the Crypt of the Resurrection pretty, but it is certainly the least disturbing of the five rooms. On the back wall, different parts of the human skeleton create a frame for the picture of Jesus commanding Lazarus to come out alive from the tomb.
According to the Capuchins, the Christian belief in the resurrection provides the key to interpreting their unique form of funereal art. This unusual form of church architecture, however, is not for everyone and will not be finding its way onto a top ten sights of Rome list anytime soon.
The church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, which can be a little difficult to find, is located on Via Veneto at Via dei Cappuccini, near the Piazza Barberini. Visiting hours are from 9am to noon and 3 -6pm, but the crypt is closed on Thursdays. Admission is by donation and no photography is permitted.
Source:
- The Capuchins. http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it
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