Hanging with the Dead – A Catholic Halloween

We Catholics know how to do death and the afterlife, right? 

Keep reading for some of Rome's creepiest relics, crypts, incorruptible bodies, and messages from the dead.

But first…

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Upcoming Pilgrimages  

I am taking a group to Jordan in a few weeks, then I have just one more Italy pilgrimage before 2023, Advent in Tuscany with the Keys to the Vatican.

We will experience art and culture in Florence, culinary adventures in Siena, and end with a once in a lifetime visit to the Sistine Chapel.

→ → → Sign up here.

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Relics and Incorruptibles

I wrote this article years ago and it’s been reprinted and reposted many times. I’ve added some new pictures and stories... levitations, bodies that are still flexible and moist hundreds of years after death, eyes opening, detached heads, etc.

→ → → Read Hanging with the Dead.

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The once a year crypt visit on Tiber Island

A group of people used to bury the unwanted dead of Rome. Now the bones of those dead are on display in a crypt that is only open for an hour each year on All Souls Day. After a Mass and a procession along the Tiber, the faithful visit the crypt to pray for the dead. The crypt is musty, cramped, and filled with hundreds of skeletons. 

→ → → Check out the eerie Sacconi Rossi Crypt.

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The Devil’s Stone and the Vial of Darkness

One of the most terrifying relics in Rome is the lapis diaboli, or Devil’s Stone, found in the Basilica of Santa Sabina. The tradition is that Satan tried to distract Saint Dominic while he was praying in this church. He produced a solid black stone and threw it at the saint. Of course Dominic didn’t flinch. Today the stone is in the back of the church with Satan’s claw marks still present.

Some people have bucket lists of places they want to visit. I have a bucket list of relics, and this one is at the top… a collection of relics of the seven plagues. These are kept in the church of San Marco Evangelista right in the heart of Rome. Why these exist, I have no idea, but they are rarely on display, possibly only by invitation once a year. The one I am most excited and terrified to see is the vial of darkness. From what I hear, it’s literally just that, a vial of the darkest dark matter that basically sucks all the light and joy from anything around it. I’m uncomfortable just thinking about it and I can't wait to see it!

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Purgatory in Rome

There’s a little known museum in Rome dedicated to the souls in purgatory. People always get a bit uneasy when visiting.

→ → → Read about it here.

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Have a happy and holy Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day!

Here’s me dressed as ET.

— Mountain