Pope Urban VIII had the soil of the cemetery conveyed from Jerusalem. Pope Pius VI granted a PLENARY INDULGENCE to the faithful who visit it on the first Sunday of October.
The cemetery contains the bones of some 4000 Religious who died here between 1528 and 1870.
The three small skeletons that are seen in the sixth compartment, are those of two young princes and a princess of the Barberini family, grand-nephews and grand-niece of Urban VIII. On the right of the arch which serves as a Chapel, is prince Matteo Orsini clothed in the Franciscan habit; on the left is the princess Maria Peretti, grand-niece of Sixtus V; in the wall in front of the altar is the urn containing the remains of a Patriarch of Jerusalem; in the tomb in the center lie the bodies of the papal Zouaves who fell defending the Porta Pia in 1870.
The author of this artistic work, which probably belongs to the eighteenth century, is unknown. The tradition is that the work was executed by the Religious under the direction of a French Friar. Whoever the author may have been, he has succeeded in creating a marvelous work, unique in its kind which attracts numberless visitors without in any way taking from the religious character of the cemetery. The little crosses that mark the resting places of the dead and the mummified remains, in a standing or a recumbent position, remind the visitors of the drama of life which ends in death; while the fantastic designs worked out in human bones on the walls of the arches, invite to prayer and meditation.
Russell came to our class and told us about his trip to Italy during his spring break in 1997. Since we were reading about Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire, he showed us slides about what he saw.
First Stack:
The first slide he showed us was of Spanish steps. There were so many steps! Then we saw the slide with the Tiber River. It had boats on it. Then he showed us the sign for a pizza shop. Also, a restaurant named Crispie’s.
Then he showed us the coolest thing. It was the Capuchin crypts, and it was made of human bones from Jerusalem. He showed us the catacombs there which were made of skull art. Also, there was a full skeleton with a cloak on which were the saints. There was a beautiful lamp made out of bones. The art is very strange, but beautiful. On the ceiling there was a grim reaper holding a scythe and scales.
He showed us a slide of the Sistine Chapel, which has the paintings of Michelangelo. One was of God and Adam. Then one of Adam & Eve. Then one of just Adam. Then he showed the whole picture of the ceiling, which had all of Michelangelo’s biblical paintings.
The Colesseum was the next slide he showed us, and the rooms below the floor. It was so huge! He showed us the outside of the Colesseum. Did you ever wonder why there are gaps in the floor and top of the walls? It is from people who took the stone blocks to build their houses (I didn’t know that). Then under the Colesseum floor we saw where the gladiators gathered before they came on top to fight. Then we saw a picture of the entire Colesseum, then more walls that people took stones from.
Afterwards, Russell showed us an arch, but not just any arch. It was a triumphal arch, and it was made for winning a war. It had so many beautiful carvings covering it.
He showed us a monastery on the Tiber River. Then a big cathedral - it was beautiful. Then the Tiber River Bridge - it was long.
Pompeii was the next slide he showed us, and it was the old walls of Pompeii. Pompeii, the city, was 300 yards from the ocean. Howev er, when the volcano Vesuvius erupted in 79AD, the people were not able to escape to the ocean. He showed us a mosaic saying, “Cave Canem,” which means “beware of dog.” He showed us the pillars of Pompeii, which were covered in 40 feet of ash. The ash covered the entire city. We saw two people in a body cast covered with ash. We saw a picture of the volcano in the background, which looked like it was about 40 miles away. In the background we could also see a chapel of the new Pompeii.
2nd Stack of slides:
There are steps in the streets of Pompeii because that is their sewage system. There are spaces between the round raised steps because they need carriages to be able to go through the streets and between the steps. Then he showed us the walls of Pompeii. Also, the dog of Pompeii, he showed us it again.
In the background was Mt. Vesuvius. Then he showed us the walls of the stadium in Pompeii. We saw some ancient graffiti. Russell said the writing said “Augustus was here” or something like that. Then he showed us a marketplace.
He showed us the area for the gladiators under the stadium. He showed us a stone bed, and it actually looked comfortable. Then he showed us an old stone mural. He showed a passage way (road) with ruts in the stone. It shows how much they rode on it and how heavy the wagons were.
The coolest slide he showed us was of a Poseidon Mural. I loved it because it was so beautiful. The last thing he showed us was the bath house.
That concludes the slide show that Russel showed us.
NOTES ON RUSSELL’s Trip to Italy
by Courtney
- there are bones
- bones are from Jerusalem
- dead people hanging from walls
- there is a lamp of bone
- the whole place is made of pure bones
- name of the place: Capuchin Crypts
- Sistine Chapel
- Adam and Eve
- a ceiling full of art work
- Stadium (Coliseum)
- people would take marble seats & floor
- chapel in the middle of houses
- Pompeii: volcano’s eruption covers all of Pompeii.
- Archaeologists dig out Pompeii
- street was used as a sewer; steps to walk across
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