As you stand here near the choir vault, take a moment to look up towards the ceiling. You’ll notice something unusual—hanging high above are a couple of old hats. But these are no ordinary hats. They are the ceremonial hats of cardinals who once served this cathedral. The tradition of hanging a cardinal’s hat, known as a galero, dates back centuries. When a cardinal passed away, his hat would be suspended from the ceiling as a mark of respect and remembrance for his service to the Church. Now here’s where it becomes even more fascinating. According to tradition, when a cardinal dies, his soul is believed to go straight to Purgatory, a place of purification before entering heaven. The soul remains there until the hat finally decays and falls from the ceiling. Only then, it is said, can the cardinal’s soul ascend fully into eternal peace. Of course, this belief belongs to a more symbolic and medieval mindset. The hats you see today have been hanging there for decades, serving as a silent reminder of both mortality and the hope of salvation. Continue to look up at the ribbed vaults of the cathedral and play the next stop.