In the centre of Rome is the Capuchin Crypt – officially the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars, which is at once both shocking and fascinating. A series of small chapels beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini contain the bones and mummified remains of an estimated 4,000 individuals. Far from being a macabre spectacle, the Capuchin order believes the remains of former friars are a silent and poignant reminder of our mortality and the passage of life on Earth. Read more about one of Rome’s top attractions, with information about tickets and guided tours.
- Ethan Doyle White
- Last Checked and/or Updated 5 January 2024
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- Featured Photograph © Dnalor01 / Wikimedia
- Italy, Italy Travel Tips & Ideas, Rome
Recommended Guided Tour of the Capuchin Crypt
After a recent make-over, the museum and Capuchin ossuary is becoming a popular attraction in Rome. A popular option for visiting the museum and crypt is to take a guided tour. The guided tour offered by the museum has to be booked through the church at least two weeks in advance, and costs €60 (Italian) or €80 (English, Spanish, French). A guided tour that gets excellent reviews and costs only €40 can be booked online through Tiqets.
► Small group guided tour in English, with a maximum of 15 people that lasts one hour.
► The guided tour is at 12.30 pm, a good time to visit as this is a time when most tourists, certainly large groups are starting to think about lunch.
► As the group size is limited and the tour only available once each day, it is highly recommended you book the Guided Tour of the Capuchin Crypt & Museum in advance if you want a day of your choice.
Or, continue reading this page for all the information you need in preparation for your visit to the Capuchin Crypt.
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More than any other, Rome is a city dominated by its Catholic heritage. Visitors can scarcely turn around without coming upon a church, chapel, or cathedral. With such an amazing range of sites on offer, it can be difficult to decide how and where to spend your time and Euros. While the likes of St Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon may pull in the largest crowds, there are many smaller, lesser known Catholic sites that are just as deserving of a visit – and in some cases a lot more memorable!
One of the most unique and impressive heritage sites in the city is the Capuchin crypt, also sometimes called the ‘Bone Church of Rome’. This is best known for its amazing ossuary, a collection of thousands of human bones that have been used in the elaborate decoration of the walls and ceilings. The crypt is situated beneath the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (‘Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins’), a 17th century church located along the city’s posh Via Venetto. Since 2012, the crypt has been accompanied by a smart new museum devoted to the history of both the Capuchins and the church itself.
The Museum
Having climbed the external stairs to enter the church, head for the museum; devoted to the history and development of the Capuchin Order. For those who know nothing about the group – except perhaps that they gave their name to a species of New World monkey – you will certainly be enlightened here.
The Ordo Fratrum Minorum Capuccinorum (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin) was established in sixteenth-century Italy by Matteo Bassi. He was a Franciscan friar who felt that the order had drifted away from the humble practices of Saint Francis. To this end, in the 1520s he created the Capuchins as a reformist movement whose members devoted themselves to solitude and penance. The early Capuchin Order faced much hostility and Bassi himself returned to the Franciscans, but despite these setbacks it managed to not only survive but thrive.
Somewhat ironically for a group emphasising poverty and simple living, the Capuchin Order built this church using money and land donated by some of Rome’s wealthiest elite families. Commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, it was designed by the architect Antonio Casoni and built between 1626 and 1631. Its construction was a clear sign of how far the Capuchins had come over the preceding century. It has remained under the Order’s control ever since.
The museum provides a potted history of the Capuchin community illustrated using a wide range of artefacts associated with the group, including vestments, manuscripts, and reliquaries. Several paintings are also on display, most notably ‘St Francis in Meditation’, a work attributed to the ‘Old Master’ Caravaggio. The Capuchins seek to remind the visitor that they are not merely a curio from Europe’s early modern period but a living fraternity with members scattered across the globe. To this end, the museum’s final rooms contain biographical overviews of prominent Order members and the humanitarian projects that they are engaged in.
The Crypt
To get to the main attraction, the crypt and its ossuary, you have to go through the museum. The crypt itself consists of a corridor passing through six consecutive rooms lit only by small windows and dim electric candles. While one of these rooms, a chapel, has no human remains on display, the other five are filled with thousands of human bones, elaborately stacked against the walls, organised into enchanting Baroque patterns. And even crafted into chandeliers. In all, the remains of around four thousand individuals are present.
The five rooms are given such evocative names as the Crypt of Skulls, the Crypt of Pelvises and the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones. Not everything on display is bare bone. In one room, two severed, mummified arms cross one another to make the form of the Capuchin’s coat of arms. Several rooms also contain robed and hooded figures, their darkened, desiccated skin still clinging to their skulls.
Mystery shrouds the origins of the ossuary. When the Capuchins moved to this site in the 1630s they brought with them the bones of many of their dead that had previously been stored at a convent in the nearby Santa Croce e San Bonaventura alla Pilotta. At what point – and why – somebody then decided to start transforming the collection into this artistic marvel is not known. The earliest written record of the ossuary comes from 1775, when it attracted the attention (and admiration) of a notorious French libertine, the Marquis de Sade. By this point it had developed into something of a tourist attraction, a status it has retained ever since. The addition of new bones may have continued until the early nineteenth century, when the burial of human remains within the city walls was criminalised.
The Order emphasises that the ossuary should be understood as a space in which the visitor can reflect on their own mortality – and thus on the need to atone for their sins. While this overtly Catholic message is to be expected, this is a place that can surely be appreciated for its intrinsic artistic merit and historical interest by members of any faith or none.
As befitting the mood of such a place, most visitors keep their voices hushed to a whisper, and photography is strictly forbidden. In such an evocative and atmospheric place, the visitor’s experience will no doubt be a personal one and many different emotions might come to the fore. For some, it may be a disquieting or even frightening experience. Others will find it deeply touching. Fundamentally, it is a place that appeals strongly to the morbid curiosity of the human imagination.
On emerging from the crypt, one immediately enters the usual gift shop, where trinkets, books and postcards are available for purchase.
FAQS About Visiting the Capuchin Crypt
Can you buy tickets online to visit the Capuchin Crypt?
Yes. Tickets are available online via the church’s website. But note, once purchased they cannot be refunded, resold or used for another date other than the one booked.
Can you buy skip-the-line tickets for the crypt and museum?
No.
Like the Catacombs in Paris, the Capuchin Crypt has become a very popular attraction in Rome. There is no option to skip-the-line, if you want to buy a ticket in advance, avoid standing in queues and have the option to cancel should the need arise or your plans change you will need to reserve place on a guided tour.
What are the best options for guided tours?
There are two options: GetYourGuide and Tiqets both offer skip-the-line tickets with a guided tour, and you can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours before the start of your tour and get a full refund.
Is there a dress code to visit the Capuchin Crypt?
Yes, appropriate clothing is required. This means that shoulders and knees must be covered – no sleeveless shirts.
How long do you need to visit both the museum and crypt?
Visiting the Capuchin Crypt in Rome
The church is situated on the Via Venetto, a couple of minutes’ walk from the Piazza Barberini. The nearest transport link is the Barberini – Fontana di Trevi station, which is on Line A of the Rome Metro. As the station’s name suggests, the popular Trevi Fountain is only a short walking distance away. A visit to the Crypt can easily be combined with a trip to this and many other of central Rome’s historic sites.
Official Website | Telephone: 06/88803695 | Email: [email protected]
Opening Hours
Church 07h00 – 12.45, 16h00 – 18h45
Ticket Prices
Regular: €8.50
Reduced: €5.00
No passes include the Capuchin Crypt.
Accessibility
The museum and crypt is wheelchair accessible.
Facilities
Gift shop
Guided Tours that Include the Capuchin Crypt
Although the church does arrange its own guided tours, these have to be booked at least two weeks in advance and they are quite pricey. There are a few local tour guides who offer guided tours of the museum and crypts. With a guided tour there is no standing in the queues.
The Capuchin crypts at the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini also feature in a Guided Tours of the Crypts and Catacombs of Rome. And for 54€ you can get a Guided Tour of the Museum and Crypt and Enjoy a Choral Concert in the Basilica of Santa Maria Immacolata.
Purchase a Guided Tour of the Capuchin Crypt & the Rome Underground Pass together and save. With this combined ticket you’ll not only get a guided tour of the Capuchin Crypt, but you will also explore the Domitian stadium beneath Piazza Navona as well as the Trevi District underground.
See more Tours & Activities options for the Capuchin Crypt from Tiqets, GetYourGuide and Viator.
Add the Capuchin Crypt to Your Itineraries & Travel Lists
You can create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itinerary for your Athens visit. These can also be shared with your friends and on social media. To make use of this feature, you will need to login or register as a new user. For more sites and museums in Rome, see Art, Archaeology & History Sites & Museums in Rome & the Vatican.
Capuchin Crypt
Rome’s Capuchin Crypt – officially the Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars – is at once both shocking and fascinating. In a series of small interconnected chapels beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini are the bones and mummified remains of an estimated 4,000 friars who died between 1528 and 1870. Far from being a macabre spectacle, the Capuchin order believes the remains of former friars are a silent and poignant reminder of humanity’s mortality and the passage of life on Earth.
Archaeology Travel Writer
