CRYPT OF ANAGNI – UNDERGROUND TOUR

The “Anagni Cathedral” was built between the years 1072 and 1104. According to a popular legend, the Bishop Pietro da Salerno was able to complete construction of the cathedral thanks to the “Byzantine Emperor Michael VII Doukas”, who the Bishop visited in “Constantinople”. This Romanesque cathedral has an imposing bell tower that is nearly one-hundred feet tall and has five bells. Inside the cathedral you will find the “underground crypt”, the entrance of which used to be a closely guarded secret. This mysterious underground crypt used to house the sacred remains of Saints, “the relics”. The floor, walls, and ceiling of this area are beautifully decorated with mosaics and frescoes. The Frescoes were made by three masters whose names have been lost to time. They depict the story of the universe, from its creation to the apocalypse described in the Bible by John, in the “Book of Revelation”.

The “oratory of the cathedral” is dedicated to “Thomas Becket”, an archbishop who was killed by the knights of “King Henry II” and was made a Saint by the church. The oratory used to be a “Mithraeum” in ancient times, a place of worship for the god “Mitra”, who was worshiped in India, Persia, and the Roman Empire.

This Crypt of Anagni tour will also allow you to see the “Palace of the Popes”. “Pope Boniface VIII” was not the first person to want to spend his leisure time in this city, in fact many Roman Emperors came to Anagni as well to find an escape from the stifling hot air of Rome in the summer. The “Palace of the Popes” was bought by the family of Boniface in 1297, as part of the family’s attempt to own plots of lands and houses near the cathedral, to acquire prestige and honor. The palace is now a museum dedicated to Boniface VIII and houses a permanent exhibition about the pope and the “first great Christian Jubilee of 1350”. In the museum there are also many archaeological finds, photographs, historical documents, and a rich collection of inscriptions that were found in various “roman catacombs”.

This Crypt of Anagni tour is perfect for people who are curious about the history of the popes and of Catholicism. Come see the beautiful “cathedral”, the “oratory”, and the “underground crypt”, and learn everything there is to know about the popes in the “museum in the Palace of the Popes”.

If you are an art lover, and you want to discover other wonderful churches and frescoes, you can’t miss out on a visit to the “Sistine Chapel of Mannerism” inside the “Oratory of Gonfalone”. You can find it in our The Pope of Renaissance tour on our website.