Sometimes the past and its traces are hidden in plain sight: this is the case of the crypt of San Magno in the city of Anagni. Let’s find out why she deserves a visit.
We are in Anagni, called City of the Popes in the province of Frosinone, among the thousand attractions offered by the ancient village there is a really surprising: we are talking about the crypt of San Magno.
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The crypt of San Magno: where it is and how to get there
The Museum and the crypt of the Cathedral of Anagni are easily reachable by car or by train.
By car you have to exit the A1 at Anagni-Fiuggi, reach the walls south of the village and leave the car in the multi-storey car park located a few minutes from the Cathedral if you move by car.
If you are traveling by train then you need to take the Cassino line from Rome and stop at the Anagni-Fiuggi stop. After reaching the square outside the station you can take a shuttle.
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How to visit the Cathedral of Anagni?
The entrance ticket to the Cathedral Museum of Anagni allows you to visit all environments through a marked and unidirectional path.
From the ticket office, you go to a staircase that leads to the first floor where there are the Library, the Chapter Room, the New Sacristy with recent works (e.g. chalices and reliquaries), the two halls of the Sacristy and the ancient Treasure in which are kept pieces of a medieval collection and the Chapel of the Saviour.
Then, thanks to another staircase, you enter the Cathedral, which can be visited by a cordoned path: the presbytery and the Caetani Chapel leave you breathless.
The path leads to a side staircase positioned to the left through which you can reach the underground spaces. There are the Oratory dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket (the Archbishop of Canterbury killed in his cathedral whose remains are in Anagni) and the crypt of Saint Magnus.
At the end of the visit it is necessary to go up through the staircase on the right and proceed first in the rooms of the lapidary where marble with Cosmatesque decorations, the balustrades of the ancient cathedral and some pieces of unusual beauty are on display and then in the bookshop.
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Anagni Cathedral, the history
The Cathedral of Anagni was built in conjunction with the crypt of San Magno and equals it for historical interest. She witnessed important historical events such as the excommunication of Frederick Barbarossa by Pope Alexander. Its architectural quality and beauty are undoubted.
The church was originally in Romanesque style on which Gothic elements were inserted: the result is a cathedral with an austere and particular appearance.
The origins of the crypt of San Magno
The crypt of San Magno is an underground structure built together with the Cathedral at the time of Bishop Pietro da Salerno, between 1072 and 1104 to preserve the relics of the saints.
The basement consists of three naves that run transversely with respect to the naves of the church and three apses characterized by twelve columns, twenty-one vaults and walls decorated with works of extraordinary beauty.
The vividness of the colors is reflected in the original floor characterized by shapes and inlays arranged as geometric patterns.
From the creation of man to his salvation until the end of everything: the crypt is a kaleidoscope of stories, meanings and colors not to be missed thanks to the works of anonymous artists of the art shops of the time.
The journey to discover the crypt of San Magno begins by leaving the Oratory of Thomas Becket and entering a real treasure chest of frescoes and precious works. It is not by chance that it is called the Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages.
What is the underground Sistine Chapel? The view opens a myriad of religious scenes, but at a closer look it is possible to divide the frescoes into different cycles: the scientific one, that of the ark, that of the traditio legis and the apocalyptic one.
The first cycle shows Creation with a man placed in the center of two circles, the inner one of Nature and the outer one of Life. It is divided into four parts which include the ages (childhood, youth, maturity and old age), the character (impulsive, irapid, melancholic and controlled), the four seasons (autumn, winter, spring and summer) and the four natural elements (water, air, fire and earth).
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Below the Creation it is possible to observe the Diagram of the Theory of the Elements drawn from the Timaeus of Plato and the doctors Hippocrates and Galen engaged in conversation. Next to them are four tetramorphs, that is to say the beings with four forms indicated by Ezekiel in the Old Testament to represent the four evangelists and the Creation or the human soul.
The second cycle stages the subtraction and return of the Ark of the Covenant as part of the battle between the Philistines and Israel recounted in the First Book of Samuel.
Moving the view towards the third and fourth blocks, instead, you can observe the scenes of the Old Testament and the New Testament, some historical events and some events related to astrology and medicine. The cap that covers the apse shows the Apocalypse of John with Christ the Judge and the four knights (Victory, War, Famine and Death) in front of a Christ Blessing.
There is also space for the representation of the miracles attributed to San Magno, the bishop of Trani who contributed to the spread of Christianity in the territory and the construction of the cathedral.
Not only San Magno. There are also representations of the lives of other saints whose remains rest in the crypt.
The time to fully enjoy these works is limited, in the sense that the crypt is illuminated every half hour for about twenty minutes to avoid damage to the frescoes.
San Magno Crypt: timetables and prices
The Cathedral Museum of Anagni and its treasures can be visited by reservation every day from 9.00 to 13.00 and from 15.00 to 18.00 (extending the hours until 19.00 from April to October). However, visits are suspended during the celebrations.
The cost of the full ticket is nine euros, but residents of Anagni, groups of fifteen people and university students enrolled in Letters and Philosophy, Theology, Architecture and Conservation of Cultural Heritage pay six euros.
It is even more reduced the price (three euros) for the groups of secondary schools in grade I and II in the school trip, children from eleven to eighteen years and carers of disabled people.
Admission is free for disabled people, children under 10, primary school groups and accompanying teachers.
Copertina: luxuryromemag
