Old bones to see in Italy

 

If you’re interested in seeing something peculiar during your trip to Italy, today I will help you.

In fact, I’m going to list three old bones you can see in Italy.

 

GALILEO’S MIDDLE FINGER

This one is a really peculiar relic. Everyone knows Galileo. He’s mostly known for his heliocentric theory.

He was a brilliant man but back then, in the XVII century, he was only considered by many– and by the inquisition – an eretic.

When he died in 1642 the Grand Duke of Tuscany wanted to bury him in the main body of the Basilica Santa Croce in Florence.

However, it seems that the Pope disagreed, considering this very inappropriate, since Galileo was considered an eretic by the Church.

So, Galileo was buried in a small room near the novices’ chapel, almost hidden from the sight.

However, in 1737 his body was moved to the main body of the Basilica and a monument in his honor was erected there.

During this move three fingers and a tooth were removed from his body. The idea was of Vincenzo Viviani, the last of Galielo’s pupils.

And nowadays one of these relics, Galileo’s middle finger, can be seen visiting Museo Galileo, in Florence, and it’s venerated like the finger of a saint.

FONTANELLE CEMETERY

Among the most famous old bones in Italy, there are surely the ones that rest in Fontanelle cemetery, in Naples.

The cemetery is located in a tuff cave. This might seem a pretty strange location, however there’s a good explanation for this.

In the 16th century new cemeteries started to be built outside the city walls because there was no more space in the city.

However, many Neapolitans didn’t want to be buried in cemeteries. They wanted to be buried in their local churches. But there was still the same problem of space. Churches were full.

So, Neapolitans found a solution. They decided to move the oldest remains to Fontanelle cave to make some space for new burials.

Then in 1656, in Fontanelle cave, many anonymous corpses were buried, victims of the great plague.

Years later Fontanelle cemetery became the burial place of the indigents.

In 1872 Father Gaetano Barbati decided to disinter and catalogue all the corpses in the cemetery. He then moved them in little crypts or boxes.

Since then, a real cult of devotion to the remains developed. People paid visits to the bones, cleaned them, talked to them, prayed, asked favours to them, etc.

In 1969 Cardinal Ursi forbade any devotion practice in Fontanelle cemetery, saying that the cult had degenerated into fetishism.

Nowadays the cemetery has been restored and can be visited.

ST. VALENTINE’S SKULL

Another peculiar and famous place where you can see old bones in Italy is the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin, in Rome.

In this minor basilica in Rome, rest the skull of a very famous man: St. Valentine.

St. Valentine was born in Terni in 176. He became bishop when he was just 21 years old.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the life of this man but there are many legends about him.

One of these tells that Valentine lived at the same time as Emperor Claudius II.

Emperor Claudius decided that single men were better soldiers than married men since they didn’t have to worry for their children and wife in case they died in battle.

So, he decided to forbid marriages between young people.

Valentine, obviously, disagreed and secretly organized marriages for young couples.

When Claudius discovered this, he sentenced Valentine to death.

So, one day Valentine was beheaded and his flower crowned skull now rests in a side altar of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin.

 

Have you already seen some of these old bones in Italy?

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Credits

Original image by SNGPhotography