Sicily: Palermo – Capuchin Catacombs

This is a truly bizarre site underneath the Capuchin Monastery in Palermo, likely the world’s largest collection of mummified bodies – 1,284 mummified and partially skeletonized bodies, including over 160 children! It all started in the 16th century when the Capuchin Monastery outgrew its cemetery and monks began excavating crypts beneath it. In 1599, they mummified Brother Silvestro of Gubbio, the first to be placed in the catacombs, marking the start of a unique preservation tradition. It became so popular over the years that rich families paid for the spot to be interned and also rent to stay and be prominently displayed in the catacombs, often wearing their best and most expensive clothes – being mummified became a status symbol for wealthy. Most mummies were preserved naturally through dehydration, sometimes stuffed with straw or bay leaves to aid desiccation. Some were washed with vinegar or, during epidemics, bathed in arsenic. The mummies are displayed in corridors divided by categories: monks, priests, men, women, virgins, children, and professionals. The most famous mummy is Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1920 at age two from pneumonia during the Spanish flu pandemic, and is known as the “Sleeping Beauty of Palermo.” Unlike other mummies that were just dehydrated, Rosalia was artificially embalmed with a chemical mix including formalin, glycerin, alcohol and zinc salts, resulting in a totally lifelike appearance – many visitors thought it was a doll!