Skullduggery In San Francisco
Trip Start
Jan 08, 2007
1
56
139
Trip End
Oct 01, 2007
Lima,
Peru
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Other than the fairly spectacular library of ancient scribbles, paintings, wall paintings and generally amazing religious architecture and carvings by far the most interesting area of the monastery is the Catacombs.
These underground burial grounds consist of 3 levels holding approximately 70,000 bodies although only the highest level is open to the public. The memory that these catacombs even existed was lost to history until a group of cleaners washing the monastery by hand noticed water disappearing down cracks around an altar. Worried this might cause areas to rot they pushed back the altar and revealed the forgotten steps leading into the darkness.
So over the forthcoming months each time the cleaners returned they proceeded to ransack the human remains for jewelery scattering the bones disrespectfully around in their rush and not wanting to be disturbed. A priest eventually found out about these bone filled crypts from a confession by one of the cleaners obviously worrying about his eternal soul. The crypts were in a sorry state with bones strewn everywhere and with absolutely no chance of returning the bones to their rightful owners, the church chose to catalog the bones. Femurs were put with femurs and skulls with skulls, then they began the task of arranging them in as a respectful a manner as possible hence the strange formations now found deep beneath the monastery. The levels not open to the public are still used but only Priests of the church are given the privilege of having these as a final resting place for their old bones.
