Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Complesso Museale di Santa Maria
delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco
( 081 551 95 47, 333 3832561;
www.purgatorioadarco.com
; Via dei Tribunali 39;
guided tours 10am-1pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, closed Sun; Dante)
Consecrated in
1638, the engrossing
chiesa delle cape di morte
(the church of the skulls) sits on two
levels. While the upper church boasts fine paintings - nominally Luca Giordano's
The
Death of St Alessio
and Massimo Stanzione's
Madonna with the Souls of Purgatory
- the
lower church is most famous as a hotspot for the worship of the
anime pezzentelle
(poor
souls).
Between the 17th and early 19th centuries, the large, nameless grave at the centre of the
floor received the remains of countless locals who could not afford to be buried in the
church. Heaving with anonymous bones, the hypogeum became an epicentre for the cult
of the
anime pezzentelle
, in which followers adopted skulls and prayed for their soul. It
was hoped that once the soul reached heaven, it would offer graces and blessings as gratit-
ude. Up to 60 masses were held here each day, and on All Souls' Day, queues leading into
the underground vault would reach the Duomo, 450m away. Although burials on this site
ceased soon after the declaration of the Edict of Saint-Cloud (a Napoleonic order banning
burials within the city's borders), the wall shrines remained. The most famous of these be-
longs to 'Lucia' - a tiara-crowned skull named for a neon sign left at her shrine. Accord-
ing to legend, the skull was that of an 18th-century teenage bride, whose tragic death from
tuberculosis saw her become the unofficial protector of young brides. To this day, you will
find gifts of jewellery and bridal bouquets at her shrine, left by those who still believe in
the cult.
Back upstairs, don't miss Dioniso Lazzari's sumptuous, Florentine-style inlaid marble
work before slipping into the sacristy for a small but beautiful collection of devotional art
and ecclesiastical robes. The church is sometimes used for evening cultural events - call
ahead to see what might be coming up.
CHURCH
Ospedale degli Incurabili
( 339 5446243, 081 44 06 47; TBC; Via Maria Longo 50; €5 donation; 90min
guided tour 9am-2pm Sat, orto medico & Chiostro Santa Maria delle Grazie TBC ;
Piazza Cavour)
This 16th-century hospital and monastic complex is home to the 18th-
century Farmacia Storica degli Incurabili, a breathtaking apothecary magically frozen in
time. Divided into a glorious reception hall and a laboratory, its lavish walnut shelves are
HISTORIC BUILDING
