Filed under: Rome
On Saturday we went to the Crypt of the Capuchins. It is a small church that is decorated with the bones of Capuchin Friars. They have used recognizable bones (skulls, joints, hip bones) to create mosaics (for lack of a better word) on the walls. They are very ornate – kind of Baroque.
The deal is that in 1631 the friars left their old friary for the new location and the remains of the deceased were transported with them. That’s when they started the “art to die for”. Then they started to do the same with friars as they died and even the bodies of the poor Romans.
They cover the walls of the old chapel, where the living friars would join the dead for mass each day. There is a paper plaque on the final wall that says something like:
Where you are we once were; where we are you someday will be.
Absolutely no pictures were allowed – so I’m hoping to grab one from their web site.
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