Inside the Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca (Italy) rest one of the most revered relics of Roman Catholicism - the relics of St. Zita.
She was born in 1218 in the village of Monte Sargati to a poor family, and as a child she was sent to work for a wealthy merchant near Lucca. Zita led a lonely lifestyle, filling her with various virtues. When she died at the age of 60, her body was laid in the crypt of San Frediano.
When, 300 years after Zita's death, her body was examined, no one doubted that Zita was a saint: her body did not decompose, but was mummified. And such Saint Zita remained after another 400 years. In a crown of dry scarlet roses, in a robe of soft green velvet, she lies on her bed, untouched by time.
And although her thin face has darkened and withered somewhat, it is still smooth. The arms look quite flexible, and the nails even have a shine in the light.
Saint Zita belongs to the imperishable - this is how the amazing phenomenon of the incorruptible bodies of saints and martyrs is called in Catholicism. It should be borne in mind that Saint Zita is not the only fact of this kind. The imperishable relics of the saints rest in France and Germany, Poland and Spain, Austria and Belgium …
Of course, this phenomenon could not be ignored by scientists. But for centuries, the church did not allow scientists to enter its crypts and churches, so all attempts to somehow explain this phenomenon were purely speculative.
And only in recent years, pathologists, chemists and radiologists have received permission for a more thorough study of the imperishable relics. As it turned out, in many cases the incorruptible relics turned out to be simply skillfully mummified bodies of the deceased, who for one reason or another were canonized.
Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca (Italy)
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For example, an examination of the relics of the Tuscan Saint Margaret of Cortona, whose imperishable body has been resting since 1297, showed that the deceased was artificially mummified: her internal organs were removed, and her body was saturated with oils and biological and chemical compounds.
But, as it turned out later, not all incorruptible ones are the work of human hands. Thus, a thorough examination of the body of the same Saint Zita showed that all her internal organs were in place. Although outwardly it is pretty well preserved.
What's the matter?
There are two approaches to resolving this issue. One is mystical; he explains the phenomenon of incorruptible by divine intervention.
The other is scientific; in this case, experts believe that in some crypts the microclimate is very effective against bacteria, destroying them, thereby contributing to the natural mummification of the bodies of the departed saints.
Which of these approaches is considered correct is a matter of faith for each individual person. But the supporters of the first approach base their point of view not only on blind faith, but also on certain facts. Thus, when Saint Zita was exhumed, she restored her sight to the blind and fertility to the barren.