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#1
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12-12-2011, 02:03 AM
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Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily: Mummies and Rosalia Lombardo
In Sicily, the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo contain about 8,000 bodies, including roughly 1,250 mummies. The first mummification took place in 1599, when friars preserved Silvestro of Gubbio, one of their own, while the final interment occurred in 1939. Bodies line tuff-cut passageways and are grouped as monks, priests, professionals, men, women, virgins and children. Among the most famous is Rosalia Lombardo, known as the Sleeping Beauty. Born December 13, 1918, she died from bronchopneumonia on December 6, 1920, one week before her second birthday. Her father requested that embalmer Alfredo Salafia preserve her body. Salafia had become known in 1901 for restoring former prime minister Francesco Crispi, whose burial place is the church of San Domenico in Palermo, not the catacombs. His method, later discovered in handwritten notes, used glycerin, formalin saturated with zinc salts and an alcohol solution of salicylic acid, all injected at one point. The zinc gives the body its stiffness. Some photographs seem to depict Rosalia opening and closing her eyes, but curator Dario Piombino-Mascali determined in 2009 that her eyelids were never completely shut and that changing daylight from the nearby windows creates the apparent motion. After decay was observed, her coffin was enclosed in a sealed, nitrogen-filled glass case. |
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#9
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12-12-2011, 08:26 AM
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Re: Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily: Mummies and Rosalia Lombardo
The most famous in Catacombe dei Cappuccini is the one of Rosalia Lombardo, a 2 years old female child (1918 - 1920): all those who see her body say that she looks like she's sleeping. Only her face is so well preserved, though. She was embalmed by Alfredo Salafia using the same technique used to embalm the body of Francesco Crispi, a mix of Formaldehyde, Glycerol, Zinc, Alcohol, and Salicylic acid: it's a well known mix, but after recent studies it is believed that the secret is in their dosage. Great post |