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Mar
16
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A first time visitor to Rome would have no shortage of interesting destinations to visit from the Colosseum to the Vatican and any number of highlights in between, one is not starved of choices when visiting this amazing city. Most visitors would have the big items on their list in addition to those above the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain would also be high on the list but one that is less known but is as equally worth a visit is the crypt below the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini or Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins. The church is located off Via Veneto and close by the Piazza Barberini. It is not the easiest place to track down and I had spent some 20 minutes trying to locate the Church but once found it was worth the visit.
The Capuchin Crypt is quite unique, upon entry you see the wide eyed faces of amazement of other visitors only metres inside the entrance. At that point you realise you are going to see something different. The crypts I have previously visited around Europe have been much different to this. Most crypt’s don’t only display the bones in such a vivid way, however the Capuchin Crypt is very different. The Crypt is only small but contains over 4000 bones of the Capuchin friars that had been collected between 1528 and 1870. What makes a trip to the Capuchin Crypt so different is the decorative pattern that the bones are displayed and the bizarre adornment of bones. The bones have been fashioned in the style of Baroque and the Rococo style and are featured in only a handful of displays that will leave a lasting impression. Some skeletons are intact and draped in Franciscan habits where other displays feature an array of bones from that adorn the walls and arches of the display. The most remarkable display is three Franciscan friars who are posed in a standing formation surrounded by skulls adorning the walls. This display alone features hundreds of skulls and is best described as macarbe but cannot fail to fascinate. I stood next to a family with two teenage children looking at this display and I could see the look of amazement not just on the children but parent’s faces. It was one thing I don’t think they will forget anytime soon.
If you are in Rome and have an hour spare and looking for something unique that will stay with you for your life then you have to check this place out. It is not easily found but worth the trip and while you walk away from the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain feeling a bit drained from the massive crowds the quiet Capuchin Crypt will be a nice change and will remain in your thoughts far longer than many other sites you will see in Rome.
To check out the official site and see some of the Capuchin Crypt displays, click here.
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