Santa Maria della Concezione-The Height of the Macabre

On the Via Veneto is an old Capuchin church built above an underground ossuary (bone depository). The bones of four thousand friars who died in the 17th through 19th centuries have been gathered here and arranged in a mad, macabre decorating scheme. Look closely-those are not mosaics but actually human bones. There is also a Caravaggio of St. Francis in the convent, but let's face it, the bones are the draw. The crypt at Santa Maria della Concezione (Via Veneto 27) is open from 9-12 and 3-6 every day except Thursdays.

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