Mama-Daughter Trip to Italy

Once again, photos weren't allowed so I upload a couple from Wikipedia. I am in awe not only of the artistry and care show in the crypts, but also the devotion and service of the monks in the name of the gospel.

From Wikipedia: There are six total rooms in the crypt, five featuring a unique display of human bones believed to have been taken from the bodies of friars who had died between 1528 and 1870.

Crypt of the Resurrection, featuring a painting of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, framed by various parts of the human skeleton.

The Mass Chapel, as an area used to celebrate Mass, does not contain bones. In the altar-piece, Jesus and Mary exhort St. Felix of Cantalice, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Anthony of Padua to free souls from Purgatory.

The chapel contains a plaque with the acronym DOM, which stands for Deo optimo maximo ("To God, the best and greatest"), a term initially used to refer to the pagan god Jupiter, but claimed by later Christians. The plaque contains the actual heart of Maria Felice Peretti, the grand-niece of Pope Sixtus V and a supporter of the Capuchin order.[12] The chapel also contains the tomb of the Papal Zouaves who died defending the Papal States at the battle of Porta Pia.

Crypt of the Skulls

Crypt of the Pelvises

Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones

Crypt of the Three Skeletons: The center skeleton is enclosed in an oval, the symbol of life coming to birth. In its right hand it holds a scythe, symbol of death which cuts down everyone, like grass in a field, while its left hand holds the scales, symbolizing the good and evil deeds weighed by God when he judges the human soul. A placard in five languages declares: "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be."

I thought this quote was interesting:
Mark Twain visited it in the summer of 1867 and wrote in his 1869 book The Innocents Abroad (chapter 28): "The reflection that [the Capuchian friar] must someday be taken apart like an engine or a clock...and worked up into arches and pyramids and hideous frescoes, did not distress this monk in the least. I thought he even looked as if he were thinking, with complacent vanity, that his own skull would look well on top of the heap and his own ribs add a charm to the frescoes which possibly they lacked at present."Читать далее