Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini: The Church Above the Capuchin Crypt

The Church at a Glance

The Capuchin order describes it as a 1600s church in the heart of Rome dedicated to Saint Mary of the Conception of the Capuchins. It stands at Via Vittorio Veneto 27, just north of Piazza Barberini, and it was the first Roman church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

Inside there is a single nave with five chapels on each side. Liborio Coccetti painted an Assumption on the barrel vault ceiling.

For a crypt visit the practical point is simple. The museum and crypt share the address with the church, and Turismo Roma places the museum a short walk from Piazza Barberini.

From First Stone to First Friars

Felice Antonio Casoni and Michele da Bergamo designed the church. Pope Urban VIII, of the Barberini family, blessed the first stone on 4 October 1626. The first mass was held on 8 September 1630, and construction was completed in 1631.

The convent beside it was built from 1626 by the same pope, and friars first lived there on 16 April 1631. Of that complex only the church and the crypt survive.

How the Crypt Began

In 1631 Cardinal Antonio Barberini ordered the remains of thousands of Capuchin friars moved from the old friary on Via dei Lucchesi to the crypt under the church. Tradition says the soil of the cemetery is holy earth brought from Palestine or even Jerusalem. The decoration you see today came later.

The museum dates it to the 18th and 19th centuries and credits it to Capuchin friars.

The First Chapel on the Right

This chapel holds Guido Reni's St. Michael the Archangel Defeating Satan and Gerard van Honthorst's Christ Mocked. A legend says Reni gave Satan the features of Cardinal Pamphilj. The museum also lists works by Gherardo delle Notti, the Italian name for Honthorst, and Domenichino in the church.

The Other Chapels

The other chapels hold a Transfiguration by Mario Balassi, a Nativity by Giovanni Lanfranco, a Stigmatization of St. Francis by Domenichino, and Ananias Heals Paul's Blindness by Pietro da Cortona. Above the nave sits the Coccetti Assumption on the barrel vault.

Six Rooms of Bones

The museum describes the crypt as a corridor about 30 metres long with six rooms. It names them the Crypt of the Resurrection, the Mass Chapel, the Crypt of the Skulls, the Crypt of the Pelvises, the Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, and the Crypt of the Three Skeletons. Bones are arranged into ornamental designs, and some skeletons are dressed in Franciscan habits.

The Crypt of the Resurrection ends with a canvas of the raising of Lazarus. The Mass Chapel altar holds a painting by Jan Francois Courtois of Mary with the Child and the souls in purgatory. In the Crypt of the Three Skeletons a central figure, probably a Barberini princess, holds a scythe and scales.

The Memento Mori Inscription

A placard in five languages reads: "What you are now we used to be. What we are now you will be." It is a reminder of death, addressed from the dead to the living visitor. The display follows the same idea.

The friars did not hide the dead, they arranged them where every visitor has to look.

Official Tickets

The full ticket is $11.18 (€10) and the reduced ticket is $7.27 (€6.50), both with the audio guide included. Groups of 10 or more pay $8.38 (€7.50) each. Buying online adds $1.68 (€1.50) per ticket. At the desk you can pay on the day in cash or by card.

The reduced rate covers ages 7 to 17, over 65s, students with ID, international tour guides with a licence, members of Catholic religious orders and FAI members. Entry is free for children up to 6, visitors with disabilities and a companion, national tour guides and Capuchin friars. The ticket is single entry, the crypt cannot be visited on its own, and tickets cannot be refunded or moved to another date. The museum refuses the Roma Pass, the Turbo Pass, the Mic Card and ICOM cards.

The museum also supplies a guide for groups of up to 10 people for $100.61 (€90) by bank transfer or $106.20 (€95) by PayPal, plus the entry tickets, booked by email at least one week ahead.

Booked Tickets and Tours

These are the formats on this site, each with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The entry ticket suits a self-paced visit, and the guided formats explain the rooms.

Museum and Crypt

Mornings run 09:30 to 13:30 with last entry at 12:30. Afternoons run 14:30 to 18:30 with last entry at 17:30. The museum opens every day, Sundays included.

Visitors who arrive after closing time cannot enter, even with a valid ticket.

The Church

The church opens Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 19:00 and on Sunday from 08:00 to 19:00. Mass is at 07:30 on weekdays and at 11:00 on Sundays and holidays, so time a look at the chapels outside those services.

What To Wear

The museum requires shoulders and legs covered to the knees to enter the crypt. In summer, carry a light scarf or a shirt to pull on at the door.

Photos, Bags and Access

Photos and video are allowed for private, non-profit use. Publishing them or using them commercially needs permission from the Fondo Edifici di Culto. Large bags and suitcases go in free lockers, and only a bottle of water is allowed inside.

The museum is on the first floor of the convent and is reached by lift. The crypt has three low steps and no ramp, so wheelchair users need a companion, and motorised wheelchairs are not allowed.

One Loop, Three Stops

Start in the church. Find the Reni Saint Michael in the first chapel on the right and the Honthorst beside it, then look up at the Coccetti Assumption on the ceiling.

Then enter the museum. Its eight rooms tell the story of the Capuchin order. One section is devoted to a Saint Francis in Meditation attributed to Caravaggio. The museum itself says experts are divided and some consider it a contemporary copy, so treat it as a debated work. The museum also shows works by the Capuchin painter Fra Luigi da Crema.

Finally the route takes you through the six rooms of the crypt, from the Crypt of the Resurrection to the Crypt of the Three Skeletons. The museum puts a full visit at about 60 minutes.