On this week’s virtual tour, I invite you to join me as I delve into some of the world’s creepiest places but be warned: this trip is not the usual cheery, light-hearted fare you might have grown accustomed to from me and isn’t recommended for the faint of heart! If you’re at all squeamish or easily offended, I strongly suggest you skip this one but if you’re feeling intrepid, just click on the links in the text to follow in my virtual footsteps as we embark on a ghoulish journey of discovery around the world…
Crypt Gallery, Queen of the Catacombs, Paris Catacombs, Nefertari’s Tomb, St. Stephen’s Catacombs, Halstatt Bone House, Odessa Catacombs, Lenin’s Tomb, Templo Expiatorio Catacombs, Catacombs of the Capuchin Monks
The Crypt Gallery, London
First stop on our tour is St Pancras’ Church, London. A crypt might seem an unlikely place for an art gallery but the creepy underground corridors make for an atmospheric backdrop used to stunning effect by exhibiting artists. To see what I mean, check out this cool exhibition by SNIK. Originally used in the 19th century as a coffin burial chamber for the well-to-do and later as an air raid shelter in both world wars, The Crypt first opened its doors as an arts venue in 2002. If you fancy exploring the tunnels unadorned, however, The Crypt Gallery have teamed up with Google Streetview to provide this tour. Head through the red door beneath the four eerily expressionless caryatids and down a flight of stairs, then use the map to navigate your way around. Keep the noise down, though, as this is still the final resting place of 557 people! queen of the catacombs
Queen of the Catacombs, Rome
Next stop – Rome – for the Queen of the Catacombs. The Catacombs of Priscilla, named after an early roman saint, are a labyrinth of underground tunnels, up to 5 miles long, carved out of the tufa (soft volcanic rock) underneath Vatican City and form part of a necropolis that lies up to 12m below ground. They were used as christian burial chambers from the late 2nd to 4th centuries but were lost for over a thousand years and not rediscovered until the 16th century. Walking through these catacombs we can get an insight into what life was really like for the early Christians in Rome. Frescoes found on the walls depict women taking an active role in church rituals and ceremonies, which has sparked debate over the role of women in the catholic church today. Among the frescoes you’ll also find the earliest known painting of the Madonna and child as well as early christian symbols. The Pope has allowed Google to make the catacombs digitally available for the first time on this virtual tour. Try not to get too lost! To find out more about the paintings on the walls and the stories behind this fascinating place watch this film by the Khan Academy…
Paris Catacombs
We head off next to more catacombs, this time in Paris, where the walls are covered with a very different kind of art: 200 miles of dark, dank tunnels are lined with carefully arranged human skulls and bones in artful configurations. Although it’s illegal to go into many parts of the catacombs, a few people still break the rules and in 2004 french police even found an illicit cinema down there! To navigate these catacombs, you can use the map and guide (and if your french is good enough there’s even a 40-page educational guide), so if you’re feeling brave, take the Paris Catacombs tour now but don’t forget to take your torch; it’s very dark and chilly down there…
Queen Nefertari’s Tomb
We fly off next to Luxor, Egypt, in search of the elaborately decorated tomb of Nefertari. Queen Nefertari was the famously beautiful wife of Rameses II. Her full name consisted of two syllables: Nefertari meaning “Beautiful Companion” and Meritmut meaning “Beloved of the goddess Mut”. Rameses married Nefertari before becoming Pharaoh. She was well-educated and had titles in her own right – Lady of the Two lands and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt. Nefertari’s Tomb is one of the largest tombs to be found in the Valley of Queens and its exquisite decoration demonstrated the Pharoah’s devotion to her. Amazingly the colours and artistic details retain their magic even today.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
To look around her spectacular tomb, as it would have looked back in ancient Egypt check out this stunning reconstruction. You can pause the video at any time and move the mouse around to get a 360 degree view or see the whole tomb in this rotateable 3D model. More information about The Queens’ Valley and Nefertari’s tomb can be found on the project’s elegant website.
St Stephen’s Catacombs, Vienna
Next, we head back to Vienna, Austria, where lurking beneath St Stephens cathedral lie the remains of …victims of the bubonic plague! To take a ghost tour of the most haunted places in Vienna culminating in St Stephen’s Catacombs, head to Amy’s Crypt.
Halstatt Bone House
We stay in Austria a little while longer to visit another crypt – The Hallstatt Bone House at St Michael’s. Like a lot of other mass burial sites it was built when the graveyards became overcrowded. When new bodies needed to be buried, the old bones were dug up and reverently placed here instead. The families showed their respect by having the skulls decorated with names, crosses, flowers or leaves, which I think is quite a nice idea in theory, although I wouldn’t fancy doing it myself. Outside, the cemetery is actually very pretty and there are marvellous views over the beautiful town of Halstatt – a great place to get a breath of fresh air!
Odessa catacombs, Ukraine
If you thought those catacombs in Paris were big, prepare to be blown away by our next stop as we head to the largest catacomb complex in the world – the Odessa Catacombs. It’s a mysterious place where around 1,500 miles of labyrinthine passages consisting of basements, bunkers, drainage tunnels, storm drains, abandoned mines and natural caves, lie up to 60 metres (200 feet) below sea level. They provide a handy hideout for rebels and criminals as well as attracting adrenaline-junky spelunkers but there’s a reason that only a relatively small section of the catacombs is legally accessible to the public. Cave-ins, flooding and getting irrevocably lost are just some of the fates that await the brave and the foolhardy alike. Take the tour if you dare but you might need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way out again…
Lenin’s Tomb
Not far from Ukraine, we find ourselves back in Russia and back to Lenin’s Tomb to find out why he is still granting audiences with the Russian public nearly a century after his death. No one had envisaged preserving Lenin’s body for so long. The plan was a temporary embalming to allow people to pay their last respects but when the government held an open casket in central Moscow, the throngs failed to dissipate and the months and then the years rolled by! To find out more about how it came about and just what keeps him looking so good, watch this video on preserving Lenin.
Templo Expiatorio Catacombs, Mexico
We find ourselves now at Templo Expiatorio in Leon, Mexico, where beneath this glorious church 7 interconnected crypts entomb the remains of nearly 2000 people. A doomsday prophecy foretold that the completion of the Templo Expiatorio Catacombs would usher in the End of Days but they were finished in 2012 and it hasn’t happened yet, so perhaps we can breathe easy (although some might argue that there are a few worrying signs!). You can go on a tour reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project, here.
Catacombs of the Capuchins, Sicily
Our last port of call is in the capital city of Sicily, Palermo, where we find the bizarre Catacombs of the Capuchin Monks and their desiccated remains. Having always associated it with the ancient civilisations of Egypt and South America, I was amazed to discover that mummification was a common practice not only as close to home as this but as recently as the 19th century! A far cry from Rome’s catacombs, here the dead, like Lenin, are posed for display in a disturbingly real memento mori but unlike the mummies of Guanajuato, Mexico, these are fully dressed as they would have been in life. Out of respect, photographs are not permitted (although weirdly they are available from the shop!) The first and oldest mummy is the friar, Silvestro da Gubbio, who has been patiently standing here since 1599. Initially, confined to friars and priests from the monastery, the practice spread over time to include benefactors, dignitaries and notables until even celebrities like the painter, Velsaquez, were clamouring for the chance to be preserved and gawped at in perpetuity. If you have the stomach for it, you can experience them in all their macabre glory with this 360 VR Tour.
Well, that’s all I have the time and the nerve for, so let’s call it a day as we head back to the light of day and the nearest taverna siciliana for a refreshing glass of limoncello! Chin chin and, until next time, ciao!
