Enter the Church of Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins, and get an introduction to the history of the church and the Capuchin monks. Admire masterpieces by Reni and Muziano and see hundreds of portraits of the monks.
The deeper you go, the darker the atmosphere gets. In the crypt, see the bones of 4,000 friars that cover the walls, floors, and ceiling arches. Discover the history of this fascinating location and learn how it came to be full of so many corpses. Hear about the Capuchin Cardinal Antonio Barberini, and why he ordered the remains of thousands of Capuchin friars to be exhumed and transferred here. Look inside the 5 subterranean chapels and marvel at a macabre work of art of intact skeletons draped with Franciscan habits and bones arranged in elaborate designs. Discover the ghoulish sign that reads, “What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.”