The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-28
CURIOUS CEMETERY.
A VISIT TO THE BURIAL PLACE OF
THE CAPucHlN MONKS.

The CHASTITY Mural Decorations OF the
charncI- House-Curious Scenes IN the
Dimiy-Lighted Chambers OF the DEAD
| Very Rare Experience.
Some things are done i'll Rome in a way
that would Seem strange enough to the good
| people OF other countries Let me give Won
an instance. AT the end Of the Wis fapuc-
cIni stands the little old church of the
Capu2hin monks, church OF plain exterior
| but rich within with marbles and paintings
Here is the celebrated st Michael by Guido
a figure known in every Christian land by
the aid OF engraving and photography. But
1t is not of ST. Michael that | wish TO tell
you, il Is of the good brethren of the
tapuchin order, that now are with the
saints we trust Under this church Is their
burial place, and their place of resurrection,
too a temporary resurrection before the
final one. To see that this is properly done
is the duty of the living members, not
merely their burying but their rising again
to be clad in their monkish garb and placed
IN the niche TO which they are entitled ac-
| corning to date and Hgnlarly established
Order
When in the church go to the left-hand
corner near the great altar and by high
railing that shuts you from tue dimly-
iishted side chapels, you will SEGA beltrope,
pull IL. Not always a safe thing to do, bat
here entirely So Soon viii appear behind
the railing snul-colcred old gen tlen,an -
little BLACK cap like bowl fitting tightly TO
the back OF his head feet in sandals, all the
rest Of him enshrouded in a dingy brown
ASK to see the cemetery OF the brethren and
he will bid you meet him at a side basement
door outside o, the church; here, after wait
inS few minutes, you win hear the key
rafting with the dust of ages the door
opens, the monk steps aside and You pass in
and down "A little narrow stairway into
long corridor, from which opens a series of
rooms These rooms are small burial plats
THE CHASTITY MURAL DECORATIONS.
The floor is soft brown earth and smooth
rs floor; with rows OF cypress trees planted
at the had of the many graves All the
furniture aud adornments of these rooms
are made of human bones--bones of de
parted Capuchins The candelahrun hang
| ing in each room is from heal, finger and
arm bones, ANY one who has visited an ar
Senal VIII remember how sabers, bayonets,
pistols, and the various implements OF de
| strucuon are wovea into decorative wall
designs, rosettes, stars and tie like Let
HIM but imagine human bones so used and
he may call up a picture of the CHASTITY
mural decorations OF this strange place,
where scarce IA space on either wall or cell.
| ing is not embossed with some tasteful de
| sign constructed from the so and odd bones
| that go to the making of our anatomy ANY
one who doubts the picturesque ond decora-
tive qualities latent in human skeleton
should visit the cemetery OF the Capuchins
Every alcove or niche, and there are
many, is occupied by the skeleton of long
since departed Capuchin, dressed in the garb
| OF the order, their cows falling forward
over the grim skull. The effect Is height
ened by scraps of hair and beard still cling
| ing to the skull and jaws. The order
OF promotion, or rotation, is as fol
| lows: Should one OF the brethren die,
tine ground being full, then the one who
has been the longest time in the ground is
taken up and dressed, and the brother who is
the oldest occupant of the niche has to give
| way for the new conner, who takes his place
IN the niche, the old one being dismantled
and his bones distributed among the thou
sands that go to the wall building and deco
| ration of the place He has had his d1y
and has thus suddenly been merged in tue
general whole
Many of the skeleton statues hold between
| their bony fingers card on which is writ
ten name and date, Some, if they state the
truth, have been so held for more than a
| century. These rooms, while not altogether
cheerful, yet are so grotes4ue and SO deco
rattye in their furniture and upholstery
that the impression made is by no means SO
aweSome as one would suppose; and, strange
TO say, there is no charmed house odor to
them. This is explained by the fact that
the ground in which the monks lie buried is
holy earth brought from Jerusalem, and
that it abscrbs all the impurities that might
otherwise prove offensive If this be really
so there are other parts of Rome that should
be sprinlled with little of it
AS You pass from these dimly lighted
| chambers of death to the light of day, a
small coin dropped into the hand of the good
trother at the door viii not be taken amss
nor are you likely ever to regret either the
time or money given for so rare an expert
| euce. Rome Cor Detroit Free Press