Though you'll never be stuck for something to see or do in Rome, sometimes one becomes tired of museums and churches but if you're visiting the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, an oddity outside the doors will provide a little bit of fun and light relief. Dating to around the 1st century AD, the Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth, is a tall stone disc with a humanoid face carved into its surface. With hollow holes for eyes and a gaping mouth, it is a somewhat alarming looking object. The original purpose is of the large medallion is uncertain but theories of all sorts of uses have flown around for centuries: everything from a ceremonial well cover, to a piece of fountain decoration, to a manhole cover.
It is what the medallion is said to do, however, that makes it such a point of interest and has people queuing to see it: supposedly, it will bite off the hands of liars. If you're feeling brave, and honest, enough to test your look, why not find a holiday rental in Rome and pay a visit?
Not only is the original purpose uncertain but so, too, is when and why it was created. The face is thought to be a pagan god though which one exactly is debated. Guesses include Faunus, a forest god, and Oceanus, a local river god. The disc weighs 1300kg and was probably taken from the nearby Temple of Hercules Invictus.
Not only is the original purpose uncertain but so, too, is when and why it was created. The face is thought to be a pagan god though which one exactly is debated. Guesses include Faunus, a forest god, and Oceanus, a local river god. The disc weighs 1300kg and was probably taken from the nearby Temple of Hercules Invictus.
In the thirteenth century it was placed against a wall at the church and, in the seventeenth century, moved to its current location.
The church itself is a beautiful, marble-inlaid medieval structure that was originally begun in the 8th century and majorly revamped in the 12th. While visiting the Mouth of Truth, you should make sure to go inside, as many skip this and miss out.
However, the site and disc are not famous because of this beauty or mystery but, rather, due to a medieval legend associated with the medallion.
It was believed that the mouth of the marble face would close if anyone put a hand in it and told a lie. Therefore it was used as a kind of lie detector. Those who were accused of perjury or adultery were brought there and had to swear under oath before putting a hand into the mouth. According to the legend it was even used during the Middle Ages as a trial by ordeal with an executioner hiding behind with a sharp sword ready to strike if the person was found to be lying. The superstition still exists and sometimes children are even threatened with being brought to the disc if parents think they are lying.
Made even more famous by an appearance in the 1953 movie, Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, it now attracts thousands each year. If you're in Rome and trying to catch someone out in a lie, it's the place to go!
The church itself is a beautiful, marble-inlaid medieval structure that was originally begun in the 8th century and majorly revamped in the 12th. While visiting the Mouth of Truth, you should make sure to go inside, as many skip this and miss out.
However, the site and disc are not famous because of this beauty or mystery but, rather, due to a medieval legend associated with the medallion.
It was believed that the mouth of the marble face would close if anyone put a hand in it and told a lie. Therefore it was used as a kind of lie detector. Those who were accused of perjury or adultery were brought there and had to swear under oath before putting a hand into the mouth. According to the legend it was even used during the Middle Ages as a trial by ordeal with an executioner hiding behind with a sharp sword ready to strike if the person was found to be lying. The superstition still exists and sometimes children are even threatened with being brought to the disc if parents think they are lying.
Made even more famous by an appearance in the 1953 movie, Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, it now attracts thousands each year. If you're in Rome and trying to catch someone out in a lie, it's the place to go!
Photo credits
picture 2: Mac9 / CC BY 2.0;
picture 3: Dnalor 01 / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 2: Mac9 / CC BY 2.0;
picture 3: Dnalor 01 / CC BY-SA 3.0
