Cristo Velato (not to be confused with "Fresco Gelato"

I'm reminded of a commercial back 10 years or so ago when Jurassic Park came out. The commercial was for a different movie (I can't remember which) and simply said, "If you only see one movie this summer, see Jurassic Park. But if you see two movie, come see ours." I thought that was pretty clever marketing.

Why do I take this stroll down memory lane? To get sidetracked onto another stroll down a different lane ("Via della Rimembranza", oddly enough translated to "Memory Lane").

I know I talk about Italy a lot, but there's a dan good reason for it: it deserves to be talked about. I'm not sure there's anywhere in the world with a better mix of history, natural beauty, culture, food, and anything else you'd like in a place. It's just a good thing I married someone who had also served a mission in Italy or I would have driven her nuts years ago (well, just for the one specific thing. I still drive her nuts about other things).

Well, to get right to the point (4 paragraphs in), there's a little church in Napoli (Naples, if you didn't know) that has some of the most amazing sculptures in the world. You never hear anything about it, and they don't advertise it, and it really doesn't even look like a church from the outside. In fact, it may not even be a church; I've heard it's a masonic temple, but I'm too lazy to actually research that.

If you go to Italy and can only see one thing, see St. Peter's Basilica. But if you can see two things, see this church.

It's called the "Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieta'" ("The Church of Saint Mary of Mercy"), but it's also known as the Sansevero Chapel. Anyway, here's the inside:

On the left, at the far end (on the corner), is a statue called "La Pudicizia". I can't remember what it means or what it represents, and I'm too lazy to do a google search, but it's pretty neat.

On the far right corner, opposite the Pudicizia, is a statue called "Il Disinganno". I can't remember much about the meaning here, either, except that "ingannare" means to trick or fools, so a "disinganno" means something about unfooling someone, pulling the wool from their eyes (or the net from their face). In 20 seconds you could google an answer, but I don't feel like it.

Instead, I'd just like to point out how amazing that net is. It isn't a fossilized net; it's a sculpted net, sculpted out of a single piece of rock. How did he do that?

As if those weren't amazing enough, in the center of the room is the masterpiece. In my opinion, it surpasses the beauty of anything Michelangelo sculpted. You don't get the full effect from a picture, though. You have to see it to really get a sense of its power.

It's called "Il Cristo Velato", the "Veiled Christ". It's carved to look like there's a veil covering the body of Christ as he's laid in the tomb. The crown of thorns is there at his side and you can see the holes in his hands and feet. The sculpture itself is slightly larger than lifesize and draws your attention to it the whole time you're in the room.

Like I said, if you only see one thing on a trip to Italy, see St. Peter's, but if you see two, you won't regret a trip to the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pieta'.

There's a good video here. It's in Italian, but that's half the fun.