"Welcome! This is a photographic trip to the Capuchins'
Catacombs located in Palermo, Italy. There are thousands of corpses
lined on the walls like paintings.
The catacombs date back to the 1599 when the local priests
mummified a holy monk for all to see. They wanted to pray to him
after death.
In time the locals wanted their relatives remembered in this same
way. Soon there were hundreds of corpses. Some of the deceased
wrote wills, expressing the clothes in which to bury them in. Some
asked to have their clothes changed over a period of time. Included
in the catacombs are hundreds of coffins as well. Some contain the
corpse that was buried in them. The side is sometimes cut to expose
the deceased.
Children are sometimes posed. Two are seated together in a small
rocking chair. Rosalia Lombardo was one of the last corpses to make
it to the catacombs before the local authorities discontinued the
practice. Rosalia died about 1920 and is nicknamed the "Sleeping
Beauty".
Some of the corpses have long ago lost their flesh and are
skeletons. Others have mummified flesh, hair and even eyes! All are
dressed in clothes from the period in which they lived. One such
example is of Colonel Enea DiGiuliano. He is still wearing his
1800's French Bourbon uniform.
Several of the corpses seem to be "screaming" from the dead. Time
and gravity have distorted the corpses to look this way. It is very
creepy! Some have body parts which have fallen off over the years
such as hands, jaws, parts of the skull, etc.
Upon entering the catacombs, one might think that the smell would
be terrible, or at least musty. Yet, there was no trace of any
odor. Many of the corpses were close enough to touch, if you were
so inclined.
The method for embalming Rosalia Lombardo was invented by Dr.
Solafia, a doctor in Palermo, who took the secret with him when he
died. It is only known that it was based on injections of chemicals
and nothing else.
A second method used was that of dipping the bodies in arsenic or
lime. This was done espceially during periods of epidemics.
The most common method used was that of dehydration by placing the
bodies in cells, situated along the passageways. These cells were
called "strainers", and look like a BBQ pit. The bodies were dried
in the cells for about eight months then taken out and washed in
vinegar before being exposed to the fresh air. They were dressed
and put in niches, coffins, or on the walls, as instructed by the
person while still alive or by relatives after death.
Monks are buried in the clothes they wore in life. They sometimes
have ropes, dangling from their necks. The ropes were worn by the
monks, in life, as a penance. They remain with them in death. The
first monk, and the oldest corpse, is that of Brother Silvestro
from Gubbio who died in 1599. The last monk interred here was
Brother Riccardo of Palermo, who died in 1871.
The halls are divided into catagories: Men, Women, Virgins,
Children, Priests, Monks, and Professionals. The Professionals Hall
includes at least one American, writers, lawyers, priests, and
others.
The Professors' section contains the bodies of professors, doctors,
lawyers, painters, officers and soldiers of the Bourbon and Italian
army. Among the famous names are those of the painter Velasquez,
the sculptors Filippo Pennino and Lorenzo Marabitti and the surgeon
Salvatore Manzella.
The catacombs are located in Palermo, Sicily. Visiting hours are
from 9 a.m. - 12 noon, and 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Directions: (as copied from the booklet from the Catacombs)"
