Today, Claire, Peter and I spent our free morning adventuring what we like to call a “densely layered” sight which included a small church, a museum, and a crypt. Our first stop was the Museum of Capuchin Friars Minor of the Providence of Rome, where we learned the history and mystic ways of the religious order. Besides two other women, the three of us practically had the whole museum to ourselves. This allowed us the freedom to view, read, quietly discuss, and move about at our own pace with little distraction. Since being in Rome, I have come to learn that this empty viewing opportunity is rare, thus we did not take it for granted and truly appreciated some room to reflect. The museum was small but held a substantial collection of Capuchin imagery, iconography, models, and lots of relics. Bouncing from showcase-to-showcase filled with miscellaneous objects both small and large, we are quick to point out all of the relics housed within the glass. Although very interesting, our main purpose for visiting here was to see the crypt. Thus, we saw every object/piece of art they had to offer, and swiftly made our way through the museum and to the entrance of the Capuchin Crypt.
We approached an employee sitting by the doorway playing the role of security, flashed a friendly smile, and made our descent into the crypt. In my direct line of vision was a semi-long corridor about thirty meters long, broken up by little archways indicating different viewing rooms that were to the right. It was clear that what we were about to see was not extensive in length, as I was able to see the gift shop with another employee at the opposite end. By the last step down, I knew this would be an experience like no other, as I saw the row of “light fixtures” hanging along the aisleway made of pure bones. The corridor was flanked by six different rooms named after the main bones used in the designs; although all different bones were used in every room. The first room was shocking. The bones of hundreds of the exhumed Capuchin monks were used as decorations and displays from floor to ceiling. Pile of bones stacked on top of one another lined the walls and created a bed for two full-bodied skeletons. The walls of the rooms and hallway were full of art and other interior decors that were strictly constructed of different bones. All around you, no matter where you turned or looked (including above your head) you were faced with the bones of actual people that once walked the same earth. Some were put back together to form a full skeleton in which they were laid down to rest, or some even standing up as if still moving. They were each clothed in their traditional monk dress of a long brown robe and held a rope with the cross hanging from it. Those that were reassembled, seemed to have been labeled/identified by name and crosses were placed in the ground in front in honor of them.
Although eerie and a bit uncomforting at first, the art created by the skeletal remains was fascinating and in a strange way beautiful. Spending nearly twenty minutes walking through the crypt, I was taken back not only by the mere shock factor of human remains but by the intricacy and devotion dedicated to the space. Being able to walk from room to room without interruption allowed me to really articulate my perceptions of the space. It is safe to say that within the first ten minutes or so I was able to experience the holiness of the area and understood better why and how it was a place of worship. The creators were able to memorialize the monks through stunning art in a way that some are able to walk out ready for the world when/if they are brought back to life. The last room of the crypt was titled “Crypt of resurrection” where a painting depicting resurrection was the centerpiece. This further proves the idea that the bones being held in the crypt are available and ready upon the monks' potential resurrection.
(Il Convento dei Cappuccini, 5/28/19)
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