On All Souls Day: the Church of Sacro Cuore del Suffragio in Rome

The church of Sacro Cuore del Suffragio ( or Sacro Cuore di Gesù in Prati ) as seen on a sombre evening in Rome last week. Completed in 1917, its extravagent neo-gothic style is unlike any other in the center of Rome. The church overlooks the Tiber and is situated next to the truly monstrous court building ( a structure which, like the “Altar of the Fatherland,” is a legacy of the post-1870 regime in Rome).

Inside is a vast Gothic hall adorned with art in an extraordinary syle showing neo-Gothic, Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau influences. A unified ensemble very much a part of its time: the 1890’s to the 1910’s. An underlying theme of the entire Gesamtkunstwerk is remembrance of the dead and prayer for the poor souls in purgatory.

But this church is most famous for the Museum of the Souls in Purgatory. It displays objects showing tangible evidence of visitations to the living of souls in purgatory. The exhibits typically are prayer books or articles of clothing that feature burn marks of hands or fingers left by the deceased. These testimonies have a common theme we should all remember: keep praying and offering masses for the souls in purgatory.

For a description of the church, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacro_Cuore_del_Suffragio#Façade

For an appreciation (in Italian)by famous traditionalist Cristina Campo, see:

https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chiesa_del_Sacro_Cuore_del_Suffragio