The Museum of the Souls of Purgatory

Map

Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio

---

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage (Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio) is home to one of the strangest museums in Rome, that of the Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio (Museum of the Souls of Purgatory). 

This tiny one-room museum boasts a collection of bibles, breviaries and articles of clothing said to have been singed or scorched by the hands of souls in purgatory. 

According to the Catholic Church, the soul is stranded in purgatory until it atones for its sins. However, the soul's ascent to heaven can be hastened through the prayers of others. A suffrage is a prayer of intercession, hence the church's name. 

The church, which is sometimes called the 'piccolo Duomo di Milano', on account of its neo-gothic style, was built by Giuseppe Gualandi (1870-1944) and consecrated on November 1st, 1917. 

---

Interior