The Purgatory Museum

by Sean McLachlan on

I’m not sure what I’m looking at.

A rectangular slab of wood bears two burn marks–one in the shape of a cross, the other resembles a human hand. Nearby are other items–a shirt, a prayer book, a pillow–all with burns that look like they’ve been made by fiery fingers.

I’m in Rome’s smallest and strangest museum, the Piccolo Museo del Purgatorio, the Little Museum of Purgatory. Housed in the church of Santo Cuore del Suffragio, which is dedicated to relieving the souls tortured in Purgatory, it stands barely ten minutes’ walk from the Vatican. Small it certainly is, just one long case along a single wall, but the questions it raises are at the center of an increasingly acrimonious debate that’s dividing Western civilization.

Purgatory is a halfway point between Heaven and Hell, a place for the souls of people who lived good enough lives to avoid eternal damnation, but not quite good enough to join the angels. In Purgatory these souls suffer torment for enough time for their sins to be forgiven, a sort of celestial spanking with no Child Protective Services to intervene.

But there is hope. Prayers by the living can reduce a soul’s time in Purgatory. Faithful relatives offer up prayers or even pay for entire masses to be said for the departed. Others neglect this spiritual duty, and it is said that sometimes a tormented soul will return to Earth and ask for help.

During the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries these visitations happened fairly often and took on a common pattern. A spirit would appear to a relative or friend, reveal it was in torment, and ask for prayers to shorten its time in the cleansing fires. As proof that the spirit had been there, it would touch its burning hand to a nearby object. These events were one of many types of miracles common in the Catholic world such as apparitions of the Virgin Mary and bleeding statues of Jesus.

The Purgatory Museum collects these soul burns and tells their story. The hand and cross that I am seeing was left on a table by Fr. Panzini, former Abbot Olivetano of Mantua. In 1731 he appeared to Venerable Mother Isabella Fornari, abbess of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of St. Francis in Todi. He appeared to her on November 1, 1731 (All Saints Day) and said he was suffering in Purgatory. To prove his claim, he touched his flaming hand to her table and etched a burning cross in it too. He also touched her sleeve and left scorches and bloodstains.

%Gallery-101999%I have to admit I’m skeptical. I am an agnostic, and while I can’t disprove the existence of some sort of deity, I’m having trouble believing this story. The hand doesn’t look quite right. I take several photos, including the negative black and white image shown here. On this image details become clear that aren’t easily spotted with the naked eye. The burnt hand and cross are made up of a series of circular patterns as if they were made with some sort of hot poker. Other objects, whose images and stories can be seen in the attached gallery, appear more convincing but could still easily have been made with a bit of flame and ingenuity.

This doesn’t dissuade the two guys I’m seeing the museum with. They are a devoutly Catholic gay couple here in Rome on pilgrimage, something I find far more mysterious than a few burns on a nightcap. They go from object to object with wonder in their eyes. Looking at that same hand they don’t see its shape as odd, and they don’t see the circular patterns that make it up as a sign of forgery. A burning hand, of course, would have flames coming out of it, which would distort its shape and lead to some areas of the imprint being more scorched than others.

And that, I realize, is what the Purgatory Museum has to teach. For the faithful, it is yet more proof of Divine Judgment. For an atheist, it is proof of the gullibility of religious people and the nasty web of lies that supports organized religion. For the agnostic standing between two fundamentalisms, it proves nothing. Personally I think these objects are the products of overzealous fraudsters wanting to make converts by any means necessary, yet debunking them doesn’t disprove the existence of spirits any more than showing there’s no life on Mars would disprove the possibility of aliens on other planets.

As I stand there wondering where the whole debate over religion is going to lead, an attractive young American nun walks in, hands me a pendant of the Virgin Mary, and hurries off before I can ask her what the Latin inscription says. This sort of thing happens a lot in Rome. The inscription reads, “O MARIA CONCEPITA SENZA PECCATO PREGATE PER NOI CHE RECORRIAMO A VOI” and bears the date 1850. Translation, anyone?

So I leave the same as I entered, “knowing” nothing but insatiably curious about everything. That’s a pretty good place to be, I think. Walking down the nave I see one of the gay Catholics gazing upon a reclining figure of the crucified Jesus. His face is transfixed with reverence, wonder, and sadness as he bends down and kisses the statue’s feet. His visit to Rome will be very different than mine.

This starts a new series called Vacation with the Dead: Exploring Rome’s Sinister Side. I will be looking at the Eternal City’s obsession with death, from grandiose tombs to saints’ relics, from early Christian catacombs to mummified monks. Tune in tomorrow for The Tombs of Rome!

Exploring England’s oldest Anglo-Saxon church

by Sean McLachlan on


One of England’s most alluring traits is the way its historical ages pile atop one another. This is a nation where farmers discover Roman coin hordes in their fields, where people drink in 400 year-old pubs, where people worship in churches that have been around as long as England has been Christian.

If you’re ever visiting Durham in northern England be sure to take a brief drive or bus trip to the nearby village of Escomb. In the center of town stands this church, built sometime around 670-690 AD. England was not England back then, but rather a patchwork of warring Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In many regions, people had converted to Christianity within living memory, and there were still some who clung to the Old Religion. The crumbling remains of Roman cities, forts, and shrines could still be seen, remnants of a greater civilization that was already taking on the character of legend.

At this time some unknown individuals built this church. It has been in use almost continually ever since and is the oldest intact Anglo-Saxon church in the country. Its sturdy walls have borne the centuries well. If you look carefully you can see much of England’s history marked in its stone.

The Anglo-Saxons were actually three distinct tribes–the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes–who came from what is now Denmark and northern Germany to fill the power vacuum left by the departing Romans in the early fifth century. The Angles settled in this part of the country. They were still pagan then, and would remain so for a century. Eventually churches started to appear. The stone for this church mainly came from an abandoned Roman fort nearby. A couple of the stones even have old Roman inscriptions, one saying “Legion VI”, which had been garrisoned at the fort.

%Gallery-101095%The Angles added their own elements. A seventh century sundial sits high on the wall, decorated with a serpent and a monster’s head. The serpent symbolized the Teutonic creator god of the pagan Angles, and the serpent may be a symbol of the god of chaos and creativity. It’s interesting that the newly converted Angles kept a lot of their pagan symbolism! The sundial has only three marks, to show the times for mass. A more modern sundial with proper hours was added in the seventeenth century.

Inside the church are some early medieval crosses and a baptismal font that once had a locking cover to keep the locals from stealing the holy water to use for spells and folk medicine. Paganism died hard in this part of the country!

What’s most remarkable about this church is that it’s still being used. It was abandoned for a time and was in danger of falling into ruin in the nineteenth century, but the local parish decided to save it. Services are held here regularly, and during my visit I got to speak to the organist, who told me that priests vie with one another to be assigned to such an historic house of worship. The congregation uses a special old Gaelic prayer rooted in the Celtic tradition that fits nicely with the atmosphere of the place:

As the rain hides the stars,
As the Autumn mist hides the hills,
As the clouds veil the blue of the sky,
So the dark happenings of my lot
Hide the shining of thy face from me.
Yet, if I may hold thy hand in darkness,
It is enough,
Since I know, that though I may stumble in my going
Thou dost not fall.

Socks with sandals? Blame the Romans

by Sean McLachlan on

Last month we reported on a survey of the worst fashion violations men commit while on vacation. Speedos, of course, came in first, and while the banana hammock is certainly the worst of all fashion sins, wearing socks with sandals got high marks too.

Now it turns out we may owe this particular form of geekiness to one of the greatest of all ancient civilizations–the Romans. According to a new excavation in Yorkshire, England, the culture that gave us much of our law, language, and architecture may have also given us this travesty.

Archaeologists excavating a Roman site discovered a rusty nail from a 2,000 year-old Roman sandal that had impressions of fiber on it. Evidence of more socks comes from several Roman graves also found on the site. While Romans often wore boots in bad weather, it appears they didn’t mind using their sandals as long as they had some socks to keep their tootsies toasty.

Yorkshire is full of Roman remains to visit. The Aldborough villa has some wonderfully preserved mosaics, and there are the remnants of a Roman fort near Richmond. Plus local museums are full of Roman artifacts. While exploring England’s rugged north, it’s easy to imagine tough Roman legionaries marching through the moors. Now we have to imagine them with socks on.

Hey, at least the Romans didn’t invent Speedos. Imagine a bunch of greased-up gladiators fighting to the death dressed only in banana hammocks. Um. . .actually don’t think about that.


Image courtesy user Hebrides via Wikimedia Commons.

Eat, Pray, Love movie review

by Catherine Bodry on

Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal transformation from depressed divorcee to healthy, balanced woman in love were recorded in her bestselling memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love.” The book resonated with so many people that a movie adaptation was made, with Julia Roberts playing the lead.

Filming highlighted the beauty of the locations, especially Italy and Bali. A soft focus gave a dreamlike quality, with Roberts’ golden hair glowing like a halo. India didn’t get as much glamor, though the chaos of the country, especially to a new arrival, was portrayed fairly accurately.

Though the movie definitely employed “pretty power,” it wasn’t able to really tell a story. Lost is the complexity of Gilbert’s situation and relationships. We see her in New York, telling her husband she doesn’t want to be married, but there’s no background. The pivotal moment in her story, when she first talks to God, seems out-of-place and as if it came out of nowhere.
The rest of the movie is similar. Gilbert goes searching for herself, but as viewers we’re not really sure what she’s in search of — or if she really ever finds it. Relationships don’t have the weight they should, and thus Gilbert’s journey is lost. Gone is the story of her building herself back up, learning to be alone, and eschewing romance in favor of nurturing her soul. People pop up, friendships are made, but none of it seems to make much sense. And while Roberts does a fantastic job of conveying pain, she doesn’t have the perk that led to Gilbert’s being assigned to the job of Key Hostess in her ashram in India. Thus, Gilbert’s charisma is also gone, and with it any sympathy the viewer might have had for her. When there is an emotional scene, it just tries too hard — like the awkward, pointless confession from Richard from Texas (played by Richard Jenkins).

At least it’s beautiful. And not just the scenery or the Italian food porn: Roberts is surround by a cast of sexy eye candy, including Billy Crudup, James Franco, and Javier Bardem. Unfortunately the beauty of these men in contrast with the lack of character development will only serve to amplify the dreamlike, fantastical quality of the movie; rather than focus on the work that Gilbert did on herself in order to become a more aware human being (what makes the story appealing and relatable), female fans are likely to get lost in the dream of travel and sexy men. I don’t suppose that’s the end of the world, and it is definitely what Hollywood is for, but again, the bigger message of Gilbert’s story is pretty much only conveyed in a final voice-over at the very end.

[Photo credit: Flickr user mzarzar]

Travel editor Q&A: Sean O’Neill

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Until last week, Sean O’Neill served as senior editor of Budget Travel magazine online. For over three years he served at the helm of the online publication of the only US travel magazine focused exclusively on budget travel.

As editor of the Budget Travel blog, Sean executed a perfect balance, providing readers with up-to-the-minute news, very helpful travel tips, and timely sorts of planning information, all geared toward a budget-friendly audience. His work on the blog and other endeavors at Budget Travel has always been helpful, thoughtful, and well-targeted.

Sean departs New York for London at the end of August. Gotham’s loss is The Smoke’s gain.

Q: Describe your profession.

A: For more than three years, I was senior editor of Budget Travel magazine’s website.

Q: What excited you about Budget Travel when you came on board?

A: I liked the magazine so much that I would memorize passages from it. My friends thought I was weird. (I was.) But, hey, I really liked the magazine because it was unpretentious and freewheeling. When the editor inaugurated the Road Trip section (a monthly series of first-person tales about U.S. drives) in 2004 with a trip through the desert Southwest, he wrote about a stop he and a friend made to roll down the side of a sand dune. Can you imagine the editors of any of the other travel magazines getting sand on their expensive clothes? I can’t.

Plus, founding editor and genius Arthur Frommer had the savvy to use reader material extensively long before “user-generated content” became a catchphrase. That tradition continues today. The October 2010 issue will be entirely derived from reader opinions, a trick that editors can only pull off when they have thousands of readers interacting with them constantly. Naturally, readers are similarly engaged with budgettravel.com, and it’s fun to interact with them. Our blog has drawn more than 25,000 comments to date, and the blogosphere has made it one of the top ten most linked-to travel blogs according to Technorati. (Gadling is #1, natch.)

Q: Which of your accomplishments at BT are you proudest of?

A: I’m most proud to be part of a team that has wholly transformed the site. A few years ago, the site was essentially a bulletin board in cyberspace for pinning up print articles. The company formed a team that attempted to apply the magazine’s signature brand–realistic vacation advice told in a conversational style–via the Internet. The team has come a long way toward that goal. An upcoming switch to a new content managing system will allow the site to be as smartly designed as the magazine has become in the past year or so.Q: What are some challenges to putting together a successful online publication in conjunction with an established print magazine brand?

A: The simplest problem is that some editors struggle to cope with how readers are in a different mindset when they’re reading a magazine than when they’re reading online. Metaphorically speaking, you tend to read a magazine leaning back, and you tend to read an electronic device leaning forward. In other words, you’re in “daydream mode” when you’re reading an article about, for example, a farmstay on St. Croix. Meanwhile, you’re more likely to be actively socializing (via Facebook or IM) or actively booking a trip while you’re using a laptop or smartphone, as well as multi-tasking, while you scan one of our blog posts. It can take a while for any editor to learn how to mentally jump back-and-forth during a workday between the needs of the various audiences.

Q: Give us a sense of the contours of the future of online travel journalism, as you see them.

A: First, this year will mark the birth of ‘zine culture in travel media. We’re looking at the democratization of travel publishing. Thanks to print-on-demand services like MagCloud and e-readers like the Kindle and the iPad, any small group of dedicated people can deliver content to a global audience without needing to worry about print, postage, or shipping costs. That’s a huge shift. Look at what a group of clever kids at Longshot magazine are doing in the general interest category, producing a print-on-demand magazine in under 48 hours at low cost. Increasingly, text and imagery that you lay out in a print publishing tool like InDesign can be imported intact into an iPad app as well as into a Web content management system based on Drupal’s operating system. What that means is that any tiny team of people can now publish the same material in a consistent aesthetic across multiple formats–all on a start-up cost of $5,000 or so. Despite all of the talk of the “death of print,” paper-magazine culture may undergo a renaissance if a small army of upstart magazines try to appeal to niche segments of travelers.

Now for a more controversial prediction. I believe many Americans will soon start paying for content online the same way they pay for cable TV channels. I am confident that there are underserved audiences of travelers out there who are increasingly starved for high quality travel stories and advice and are willing to fork over, say, $25 or the equivalent of a one-way checked bag fee. I believe a start-up company will eventually be founded to deliver that set of subscription products to those hard-core travelers, and I intend to work for that start-up. (Interested VCs can contact me via Twitter. Haha.)

Q: Where do you love to travel the most?

A: Rome is my favorite city. Next year, I’m making my seventh trip in seven years to Rome.

Q: Tell us about a secret destination, restaurant, neighborhood, bar, or hidden plaza somewhere.

A: Do you define “secret” as a spot that doesn’t show up on Google maps? If so, then I can recommend a cute spot that qualifies in the northwest Washington, D.C., neighborhood of Dupont Circle by S Street NW and 22nd Street. It has a micro version of Rome’s Spanish Steps, large enough only for a handful of people to sit on. It’s a quiet, shady spot that’s frankly excellent for making out.

Q: Where are you off to next and what will you be doing there?

A: I’m off to London, where I’ll be a contributing editor for Budget Travel. I’ll also write for other publications and take advantage of how well London is served by many low-cost airlines.