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When we were leaving the Campidoglio we encountered, in a vaulted recess just below sidewalk level, an ancient looking fresco depicting the Nativity. I have no idea how old it is or by whom it was done, but it is a good example of the unfathomable artistic and architectural wealth of Rome. A corollary to this was a conversation we had with a young woman who lives in Rome. When we asked her why there was such a limited underground rail system, unlike London or Paris or New York, she told us that whenever they dug a few feet down they encounter some ancient artifact and the site immediately becomes an archeological dig. Of course! Leave a Comment
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Well, it's not so off the beaten path, but somehow many people, going to the Colosseo pass near the little church of S. Pietro in Vincoli (something like St. Peter in Chains), and do not enter it.
Big mistake!
Inside there is this big statue (part of the monumental tomb of a Pope) of Moses.
Legend is that the author, when finished, was so overcome by its life-like features, that he exclaimed, 'Speak! Why don't you speak to me?' hitting the statue's knee with its hammer (there is a little sign, in fact).
Oh, the author was someone called Michelangelo.... no need to tell last name was Buonarroti!
Do not miss it!
By the way, the name of the curch cames from the legend that Eudossia, wife of roman Emperor Valentiniano III, had the chains that held St. Peter prisoner in Jerusalem, ad made a gift of them to the Pope Leone Magno (the one who stopped the barbarian king Attila near Garda lake). When these chains touched the other that held St. Peter when jailed in Rome (legend says...) the two sets of chains fused and merged together.......
Oh, the chains are on display in the church.... if you like that sort of legend... (I guess with very weak historical basis) Leave a Comment
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The crypt is located just under Santa Maria della Concezione, on Via Veneto just off Piazza Barberini. In 1631, the remains of many Capuchin friars were exhumed and transferred from the friary near the Trevi Fountain to this crypt, which now contains the remains of 4,000 monks buried between 1500-1870, during which time the Papal States permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is divided into five chapels lit only by dim natural light seeping in through cracks, and small lamps which cast strange shadows.
Each chamber has been decorated with the bones, which are arranged on the ceilings and walls forming intracate patterns or have been sorted in piles against walls. Each of the chambers are different, some even contain the haunting full skeletons of monks clothed in the traditional brown habit. It is quite a strange sight to see human remains displayed in this way, but fascinating nonetheless.
I've read elsewhere that the present monks run the crypt and take donations etc, but none were present when we visited; instead a young woman was seated behind the table in the entrance hall. You are asked to make a donation, and there are postcards for sale, as photography is not permitted.
Definitely a must-see when in Rome!
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In the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva lies the body of St. Catherine of Siena. I think I read that she is the little known patron saint of Italy. He claims to fame are that she levitated around the streets of Siena, was the first woman Doctor of the Church and helped persuade the pope to return to Italy from France (Avignon). I said her body lies in the sepulchre pictured here, but not all of it. For some reason her head and one index finger are still in Siena! I have not been able to find out why she was beheaded and de-digitized but I think it was after her death. It was probably to spread the relics around. I guess it made sense then, but it sure seems macabre to me. The church is just behind (to the southeast) of the Pantheon. Leave a Comment
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While doing some researches on dark tourism sites in Rome, I decided to visit this place together with some colleagues...The place left me wanting-to-strip-my-clothes-off-right-away after I went out of the catacombs coz I wanted to shred off that "eerie" feeling (usually I feel this way after visiting a cemetary), a sign that I wanted to left the macabre feeling in the place rather than bringing it at home.
Yes, the place is indeed so ghastly and horrid. The collection of bones and arranged into some artistic masterpieces is enough to make the place horrid. Perhaps some "dark tourist" are inspired by the macabre art of the place. However, I find it too much. It's not for the hipbones that are arranged into altars or backbones made into hanging lamps (yes, those bone-lamps will be hanging over your head as you walk through the length of the crypt!) or a child's skeleton attached to the ceiling, no! It's the thought that some artists had the stomach to touch these human bones and made some pieces of artwork out of it!
I thought the place exhudes a far-fetched catholic doctrine that perhaps not so preached in church (that of the cappuchins'), which in my own opinion is too barbaric (making art out of human bones!).
Alright, if you want to "scare" yourself a bit in the eternal city, visit this place. It's a different tourist offering of Rome that is surely only for those that dare to thread the not so known spots...
Open everyday from 9am-12nn, 3-6pm.
No entrance fees but donations of any amount are accepted. Leave a Comment Other Contact: Via Veneto, 27
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San Clemente has a distinguished character and a very living touch to its history.
The general entrance into the church is free but if you want to go below surface you are to pay 1.5e, not much. Downstairs you can explore the many different phases of the different churches that have been erected and torn down here, at this very same spot.
If I remember correctly there have been at least four other churches before San Clemente - quite intriguing. Leave a Comment
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I thought it might be a good idea to mail postcards home postmarked from Vatican City. I am not a stamp collector or anything, but I think stamps are a cool souvenir, as opposed to some of the corny items you see in the tourist trap shops in Rome. The nun working in the post office was so delightful, chatting away with us and offering helpful tips. When you go stop and say hi to her! Leave a Comment
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The facade of the Santa Maria in Trivio(1570-1580) is beautifull incorporated in the facade of the building behind it.
This church is standing very close to the Trevi fountain, just around the corner. And again worth visiting if you are at the fountain.
Inside the church are some frescoes at the ceiling made by Antonio Gherardi (1644-1702). They depict scenes from the new testament. Leave a Comment
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If you want to see something a little "out of the ordinary" while you're visiting Rome, check out the Cemetery of the Capuchins. Here, under the church of Santa Maria della Concezione, you will find a crypt in which they have taken the bones of thousands of Capuchin monks, and have arranged them into creative decorations in five rooms/chapels. It is a little creepy, but very interesting. It is located near the Barberini metro stop, just north of the piazza. It requires a small donation to enter and only consists of a few rooms, but if you're in the mood for something other than cathedrals and piazzas, it is well worth it and extremely memorable. Other Contact: Via Veneti, 27 (Piazza Barberini
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There are about 67 known Catacombs in Rome. Catacombs are actually underground cemeteries for the Christians for the first four centuries. The dead were placed on shelves cut into the walls of rock after the body was wrapped in loin cloth. The shelves were then cemented and names of the deceased were carved at the side. Catacombs contained some surviving examples of early Christian art. (I saw some decorated candlesticks and slabs at the sides of some of the catacombs that I had visited.) In the 1840's Pope Gregory XVI took steps to preserve the catacombs and their treasures. In the early days, Christians hid in the catacombs to worship out of fear of retaliation by the Roman authorities. Thus today, Masses are sometimes conducted in the catacombs. I think one of the worth going catccombs is Catacombs of Saint Callixtus. It was carved out of soft volcanic rock and was the ancient burial place of the first popes. Their resting places were more elaborated with separate tombs or entire underground chapels. Phone: 06-513-6725Other Contact: 110 Via Sappia, take Bus 118
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