Published on Dec, 2024
I had a private tour with a local guide, Ava, who was great! I didn't know what to expect and was mystified and mesmerized by the experience! Rooms using alchemy which had examples of healing plants and herbs in jars with books filled with drawings and written descriptions of the medical means used to bring help to the people suffering and dying during the Black Plague. The Capuchin monks went around the world to administer to the people who had died by the millions during that time. The history behind the crypt was extraordinary with their decorations which adorn each chapel in the crypt with the bones of the monks who had been dislodged from the original monastery during the revolution. It was something you see and you can never unsee. The creative nature of each chapel is unsettling to say the least, but when I listened to Ava describe the hundreds of years when the monks displaying the bones accumulated for hundreds of years as devotion to their Franciscan brothers as you see in each crypt. I came away with a feeling of awe at the depth of faith and love that is felt in their vows of poverty in God's grace which is unimaginable in today's world. The practice of decorations in the crypt was outlawed in 1870 by Pope Pius IX when he returned from exile. He didn't believe it was a positive display for his valiant return to the Vatican. Instead, Pope Pius called for the celebration of the Immaculate Conception which we were thrilled to be a part of during our visit to Rome this year (2024). But the experience at the Capuchin Crypt is a far cry from the celebrations of the Immaculate Conception, but is a place you will never forget.
