Piazza Barberini
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on the Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini in Rome, Italy.
It is the final resting place for over 4,000 Capuchin friars, who died between 1528 and 1870, as well as several poor Romans. The soil in the crypt was brought from Jerusalem. Large numbers of the bones are nailed to the walls in intricate patterns, many are piled high among countless others, some hang from the ceiling as working light fixtures. There are six total rooms in the crypt, all but one featuring a unique display of human bones.
- Crypt of the Resurrection, featuring a picture of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, framed by various parts of the human skeleton. The key to interpreting the crypt's displays of funereal art lies in the Christian belief in the Resurrection of the body and everlasting life .
- The Mass Chapel, as an area used to celebrate Mass, does not contain bones. In the altar-piece, Jesus and Mary exhort St. Felix of Cantalice, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Anthony of Padua to free souls from Purgatory. The heart of Maria Felice Peretti, the grandniece of Pope Sixtus V, is also preserved in this room, at her request. The chapel also contains the tomb of the Papal Zouaves who died defending the Papal States at the battle of Porta Pia.
- Crypt of the Skulls
- Crypt of the Pelvises
- Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones
- Crypt of the Three Skeletons The center skeleton is enclosed in an oval, the symbol of life coming to birth. In its right hand it holds a scythe, symbol of death which cuts down everyone, like grass in a field, while its left hand holds the scales, symbolizing the good and evil deeds weighed by God when he judges the human soul. A placard in five languages declares{{quotation|"What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be..."
Opening hours: 9-12 noon; 3-6 p.m., closed Thursdays. There is no entry fee, but a donation is "required" (minimally 1 euro). No photography is permitted.
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