Enter the most unsettling attraction in Rome at the Capuchin Crypt.
Hidden in plain sight, the Capuchin Crypt is only a few minutes from the Barberini metro station.
Lying beneath this unassuming street is a chapel adorned with the remains of thousands of Capuchin monks, displayed in a decorative style that has a tendency to both astonish and unsettle visitors.
Highlights
- Wander through the crypts of Capuchin, and see the bones of thousands of Capuchin friars on display.
- See the remains of two lounging monks, reclining in their robes in the Crypt of the Three Skeletons
- Examine decorative displays of countless skulls in the aptly named Crypt of Skulls.
Tickets & Prices
The Capuchin Museum and Crypt Entrance Ticket – Guided Tour
Purchasing your entrance ticket beforehand saves you the hassle of queuing at the ticket office on the day. Entrance into the Capuchin Crypt includes all six rooms and the museum, and if you wish to purchase in advance and skip the lines, it will be on a guided tour. There are reduced rate tickets available for those who qualify; for example, if you are an EU citizen under 25, a student etc.
Important Ticket Information:
- The tickets are valid for your chosen day and time.
- Re-entry is not possible once you leave the site.
- The crypt is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00 (with the last admission at 18.30)
- This site is not included as part of the Roma Pass.
- Guided tours typically take around 45 minutes to an hour.
- As this is a religious site, you will be expected to cover your knees and shoulders as a mark of respect.
The Capuchin Museum and Crypt Entrance Ticket
For those who wish to explore the crypt without the aid of the guide, you can purchase the tickets at the site on the day. Regular entrance tickets are not available in advance, so you will need to queue at the ticket office. Besides the tour, this entrance ticket works much in the same way as the previous one – with the same reductions and entrance times available.
What to see and do
Here is what you can expect to see as you explore the Capuchin Crypt.
Spoiler alert: there’s a lot of bones.
The Museum
Before you enter the crypts, you will first explore a small museum. This section of the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini will be particularly enlightening to those with an interest in the Capuchin order, as it is devoted to their history. It explains how the Capuchins separated from the Franciscans, and details the reasoning behind the crypt and its history.
There are also several paintings and artefacts on display, with the ‘St Francis in Meditation’ painting – attributed to legendary Renaissance/Baroque painter Caravaggio – the highlight.
Crypt of the Skulls
As you will find throughout the Crypt of Capuchin, the names of each individual crypt is pretty self-explanatory. The Crypt of the Skulls is filled with the skulls of hundreds, or even possibly thousands, Capuchin friars. As you will see across the crypt, they have been artfully placed in a decorative fashion, adorning the walls of the room in a startling but impactful display.
Crypt of the Pelvises
While the majority of the bones decorating the walls and ceiling are, unsurprisingly, pelvises, this room also has full skeletons – dressed in the robe of a friar – suspended from the walls. Once again, the display of bones is both beautiful and unsettling.
Crypt of the Three Skeletons
This room of the crypt is famous for the skeletal figure on the ceiling. In one hand, the skeleton is holding a scythe – the symbol of death – and in the other, scales. It is meant to remind us of the purpose of the crypt; it’s a symbol of the passage of life, and the inevitability of death – and according to the beliefs of the monks, our final judgement.
This is one of the most striking rooms in the entire crypt, with ornate and intricate designs sitting alongside fully-robed skeletons. Some of these skeletons are suspended from the walls, others sit in a reclining position. You will find a poignant plaque located in this crypt, a message from the monks reading “What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be.”
Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones
Perhaps the most straightforward title of all, the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones displays thousands of – you guessed it – leg and thigh bones. The decorative style of this room is ornate, but the most startling feature is the Capuchin coat of arms, made entirely by crossing a number of bones to form the correct shape.
Crypt of the Resurrection
While this crypt does – of course – have bones, the most famous feature is a painting. There is a painting depicting Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, framed by bones. This scene is made all the more impactful thanks to its unusual surroundings.
The Mass Chapel
The final room of your tour is skeleton-free. The Mass Chapel, where the monks would celebrate Mass, is decorated in the typical style without a bone in sight.
Directions
The Capuchin Crypt is located on Via Vittorio Veneto, 27, and is easily walkable from the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain; both less than 10 minutes away.
For those further afield, the crypt is well-connected via public transport. There are several buses that reach the church, including numbers 53, 53, 80, 83, and 150F, just to name a few.
The crypt is also only a few minutes away from the Barberini metro station, which is on Line A.
Did you know that: (5 Interesting Facts!)
Capuchin monks saw the display of bones not as a macabre or sinister display, but a poignant and symbolic representation of the passage of life and death, and a reflection on our own mortality.
The crypt was first opened to the pubic in 1851 for a single week following All Souls Day, in exchange for an admittance fee. Women were not permitted to enter at this time.
There are the remains of over 4000 Capuchin friars in the crypt, dating from 1528 to 1870.
Before their remains were ready to be put on display, monks would be buried for 30 years in order to sufficiently decompose.
Several famous figures in history visited the crypt, including the Marquis de Sade. Mark Twain visited in 1867, and mentioned the crypt in his 1869 book The Innocents Abroad.
History
A brief history of the Capuchin Crypt in Rome:
- 1525. A reformation focused on simplicity and penance among a select group of Franciscan monks, led by Matteo da Bascio, forms the Capuchin order.
- 1620s. Pope Urban VIII orders the construction of the crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, built by the Capuchin Cardinal Antonio Marcello Barberini.
- 1631. The church is completed. Cardinal Antonio Marcello Barberini orders the excavation of hundreds of remains from members of the order, moving them from the cemetery into the crypt.
- 1851. The crypt is opened to the public in exchange for an admittance fee. This is one of the earlier examples of ‘dark tourism’
- 1851-52. Women were not allowed into the crypt during this period.
- 1870. The last Capuchin friar whose remains will be displayed in the crypt is buried.
- Present day. The crypt is open to tourists daily in exchange for an admittance fee.