This unusual feature made an impression on many foreign travellers. One of the most celebrated was Lord Byron, who relates how the caretaker showed him one, exclaiming: 'This was Friar Desiderio Berò who died at the age of forty, one of my dearest friends. I asked his fellow monks for his head and they gave it to me. [...] Here it is with its excellently preserved teeth. He was the wittiest companion I have ever known'.
Subsequently these spaces were used to house tombs and monuments.
Certosa, Bologna monumental cemetery (Bologna, Italy), Capuchins Enclosure - Sala II
All the details are available in Italian at www.certosadibologna.it