Visit the church in Italy that owns a 500-year-old crocodile hanging from the ceiling

Santuario Della Beata Vergine Maria Delle Grazie, in the Lombardy region of Italy, is an ancient church famous for having a real crocodile hanging from the ceiling.

What's the last thing you expect to see when you look at a church? There are certainly many interesting answers that one could come up with, but 'a crocodile' is certainly not what comes to mind.

But if you head to the small town of Curtatone, Lombardy, Italy, you’ll find a church with a five-century-old crocodile hanging from the ceiling. How the crocodile came to be at the Santuario Della Beata Vergine Maria Delle Grazie will probably remain a mystery, but its purpose is related to religious symbolism.

In ancient times, Christians associated reptiles such as snakes, dragons and crocodiles with evil, as the embodiment of the devil or simply as animals that lead people to sin. So chaining it up high in the church vault was both a warning to churchgoers and a symbol of the triumph of good over evil.

Although it may look like a model at first, this is a real mummified Nile crocodile (Crocodilus niloticus). The crocodile is at least 500 years old, and the church dates back to the 13th century. Over the years, many legends have circulated around Lombardy about the creature's origins, but the two most popular ones involve a local herd of beasts and two brave brothers who fought the beast.

Visit the church in Italy, which owns a 500-year-old crocodile hanging from the ceiling - 2

Some believe that the crocodile was captured and killed after escaping from a zoo, while others say that one day the animal attacked two brothers who were resting on the banks of the Mincio River. One of them called upon the Virgin Mary for help and then attacked and killed the crocodile with a knife.

According to another local legend, the crocodile was released from a circus cage and hid among reeds and lotus flowers. It is said that the crocodile was even blessed by the Virgin Mary with the ability to speak human language.

Whether you believe these stories or not, the crocodile hanging from the ceiling of the Santuario Della Beata Vergine Maria Delle Grazie church is still a very worthwhile attraction to visit when in Italy.

(According to 24h, February 23, 2024)

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