About
Here are six paintings that remind you that death is a part of life on a daily basis.
The Chiesa di Santa Grata Inter Vites is known as such because the remains of Saint Grata were first buried here. The appellation Inter Vites refers to the fact that the church was once surrounded by vineyards. The original Chiesa di Santa Grata Inter Vites dates back to the 14th century but was destroyed during the 16th-century. The current building is from the 18th-century, which in a city with remains of the ancient Roman Empire is a relatively new addition. What makes it special is Bonomini’s “Living Skeletons Scenes” (“Scene di Scheletri Viventi”)— a set of six paintings that appears behind the altar. Vincenzo Bonomini painted this set between 1802 and 1810 for the celebration of the Suffrage for the Dead. As such, these paintings were on display for just one day a year-the anniversary of suffrage for the dead-between 1874 and 1986.
