CATACOMBS OF ROME-CREEPY, BIZARRE, UNFORGETTABLE! (With Capuchin Bone Crypt)

hello I'm auntie teach hosted Andy's awesome adventures and in this video we're going to see what I would describe as eerie creepy surreal bizarre and unforgettable we're going to see the underground catacombs of Rome which includes a Capuchin bone chapel the Sun Callisto catacombs and the multi-layer Basilica San Clemente the first stop is the Capuchin bone chapel or crypt I've been to over 50 countries and have never seen anything like it the Capuchin crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the Church of Our Lady of the conception of the Capucines commissioned in 1626 by Pope Urban the eighth whose brother Antonio Barberini was a Capuchin friar it contains a skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order when the monks arrived at the church in 1631 moving from the old monastery they brought 300 cart loads of deceased friars friar Michael of Bergamo oversaw the arrangement of the bones in the burial crypt the soil in the crypt was brought from Jerusalem by order of Pope Urban the eighth in accordance with Capuchin law which did not allow burials that take place within the churches of the friars father Michael designed an underground cemetery reserved for the burial of the Friars directly beneath the chapels there are six total rooms in the crypt five of them featuring a unique artistic display of human bones believed to have been taken from the bodies of friars who had died between 15 28 and 1870 we are going to see four of those rooms the crypt of the three skeletons is the only room where you can see a skeleton in its entirety two of the skeletons in the middle of those of young children probably the Barberini children whose family founded the friary in church they are resting on hip bones signifying that death can come at any time the inscription under them says what you are now we used to be what we are now you will be the skeleton on the ceiling is perhaps the infant Princess Anna Barberini in her right hand she holds a scythe a symbol of death and in her left hand holds his scales symbolizing God's judgement on the good and evil performed in one's life the sidewalls contain two white arch niches with the bodies of two Capuchin friars lying on cushions made of bones the walls of the niches are decorated with floral motifs made of ribs vertebrae in parts of knee bones as you leave this room you can see the design of bone shaped like a clock the bones are composed at vertebra foot bones and fingers the single hour hand is a breast bone marking the transitory hours of earthly time as if to show the continuity between time and eternity [Music] the crypt of the leg bones and thigh bones features two severed mummified arms which cross one another to make the form of the Capuchin coat of arms symbol of the Franciscan Order on the ground are 18 crosses designating 18 tombs on each side of four niches with skeletons of capuchin monks [Music] the crypt of the pelvises has one monk on each side and three against the wall the two it decides are leaning forward under an upturn to arch while the middle one rests beneath the large canopy which is made up of pelvises and his fringe with vertebrae the crypt of the skulls contains two curved niches on the sides containing the bodies of two Capuchin friars in a resting position the niches are made of arm and thigh bones supported by skulls the back wall contains niches for the three standing capuchin monks in the central niches an hourglass wing with shoulder blades reminding us that time flies there crosses on the ground marked the tombs of seven cabouchins [Music] before the Emperor Constantine Christians were persecuted for the religion and literally had to go underground in the first century Rome's Christians did not have their own cemeteries if they own land they buried their relatives there otherwise they resorted to common cemeteries where pagans were also buried in the first half of the second century as a result of various grants and donations Christians started burying their dead underground that is how the catacombs were founded many of them began and developed around family tombs whose owners newly converted Christians did not reserve them to the members of the family but opened them to their brethren in the faith with the passage of time these burial areas grew larger by gifts or by the purchase of new properties sometimes on the initiative of the church itself typical is the case of the catacombs of San Callisto also known as Saint Calixtus the church directly took up their organization and administration of the cemetery the catacombs of st. Calixtus were named after the Deacon Calixtus who at the beginning of the 3rd century was appointed by the Pope as the administrator of the cemetery and so it became the official cemetery of the Church of Rome he later became Pope Calixtus the first the catacombs form part of an ancient complex and occupies 90 acres and are 12 miles long they go down four to five levels and the ceiling can be up to 70 feet high the occupancy was estimated to be about a half a million bodies when the barbarians invaded Italy and came to Rome they destroyed a lot of monuments in sack many places including the catacombs the Pope's were powerless to stop them so they ordered the removal of relics to the city's churches at the beginning of the ninth century after the transfer of the relics was complete the catacombs of Rome were no longer visited and many fell into disrepair and were forgotten the catacombs of San Callisto were rediscovered by the Italian archaeologist Giovanni Battista in 1854 when he discovered the tunnels he called him the little Vatican the central monument of all Christian cemeteries the catacombs most ancient parts includes the crypt of the Pope's the crypt of st. Cecilia and the crypt of the sacraments the crypt of the Pope's is where nine pontiff's and perhaps eight representatives of the church hierarchy had been buried three African bishops are buried here at its peak it would have held the remains of 16 popes and 50 martyrs the crypt of the popes quickly filled up in the 4th century causing other popes to be buried in milady catacombs along its walls in the original Greek inscriptions for several pontiff's in the far wall Pope Sixtus the second was also buried in front of his tomb Pope Damasus a cartoon inscription the masses wanted to be buried here but didn't want to disturb the ashes so we don't know where he was actually buried in a joining crypt is the grave of Saint Cecilia the patron saint of music whose relics were removed by the Pope and 8:21 this is a replica statue of her [Music] the cubicles or kripke the sacraments is a family tomb with frescoes from the first half of the third century hinting at baptism the Eucharist and the resurrection of the flesh the Basilica of San Clemente our Saint Clement is a Roman Catholic minor Basilica dedicated to Pope Clement the first the structure is actually a three-tiered complex of buildings what we see here is the Basilica built just before the Year 1100 during the height of the Middle Ages beneath this Basilica is a fourth century Basilica that had been converted out of the home of a Roman nobleman beneath that Basilica is the foundation of a Republican era villa and warehouse that have been destroyed in the great fire of 64 ad unfortunately we only had time to see the top level the current basilica was rebuilt in one campaign by Cardinal anastasius in the 12th century renovations were done in the 18th century today it's one of the most richly adorned churches in Rome the apse mosaic was created around the Year 1200 and represents the cross as The Tree of Life it's based on the resurrection of Christ after the crucifixion Irish Dominicans have been the caretakers of San Clemente since 1667 when England outlawed the Irish Catholic Church and expelled the entire clergy pope urban the earth gave them refuges San Clemente where they have remained running a residence for priests studying and teaching in Rome the Dominicans themselves conducted excavations in the 1950s in collaboration with Italian archaeology students on one wall in the atrium is a plaque affixed by pope clement xi in 1715 praising the basilica of san clemente quote this ancient church has withstood the ravages of the centuries end quote clement undertook restorations to the structure which he found dilapidated the carved and gilded coffered ceilings fitted with paintings day from this time as did the stucco decor and frescoes

Channel: Andy's Awesome Adventures

Views: 211,427

Keywords: Catacombs of Rome, Rome catacombs, underground catacombs of Rome, Capuchin Crypt, Capuchin Bone Chapel, Capuchin Crypt Rome, Capuchin friars, bones of Capuchin monks, Catacombs of San Callisto, Crypt of the Three Skeletons, Crypt of the Leg and Thigh Bones, Crypt of the Pelvises, Crypt of, Crypt of the Skulls, Saint Callixtus Catacombs, Catacombe San Callisto, Crypt of the Popes, Basilica of San Clemente, Basilica of San Clemente Rome, Rome Catacombs tour, catacombs

Id: QKEkJYL8d20

Length: 10min 28sec (628 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 15 2019