Wall drawings in Rome church recall secret refuge of Jews, anti-Fascists

Father Ezio Marcelli, 90, looks at a graffiti that he discovered in the attic of the San Gioacchino church, where 35 people hid over nine months during the Nazi-fascist occupation of Rome between 1943-1944 and left their testimony of isolation and suffering through graffiti on the walls, in Rome, Italy, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

The church of San Gioacchino in Rome is full of frescoes, mosaics, and intricate stained glass windows, but perhaps its real masterpieces are charcoal wall drawings hidden away in its attic.

The drawings were done by one of 35 men - including Jews, anti-Fascist Christians, and military defectors - who were hidden in the attic during the Nazi occupation of Rome in World War Two, some for as long as six months.