In the catacombs under the Capuchin monastery in Palermo, the real city of the dead was discovered.
Five centuries ago, the underground of an old monastery began to be used as a necropolis for the burial of the inhabitants of the Italian city. About 2000 inhabitants of this terrible place terrify the guests of the tomb, looking at them with empty eye sockets of ancient skulls.
The bodies are positioned in a variety of positions and sometimes it seems that something alive is present in them …
The oldest mummy in the catacombs is more than 4 centuries old. This is the monk Silvestro Subbio, who died in 1599 and is buried in the traditional monastic dress.
The most recent burial in the catacombs dates back to 1920. A two-year-old girl Rosalina, who died of bronchial infection, found her last refuge there. Despite the fact that more than 90 years have passed since her death, the girl looks like she recently fell asleep.
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Why the masters of mummification so skillfully decided to preserve only this body remains a mystery. From other deceased only bones remained with small elements of flesh or hair.
From the surviving manuscripts, scientists were able to restore the original embalming process. The deceased was subjected to dissection, the organs were removed and the body was left to dry out. After 7–8 months, it was dipped in vinegar, then placed in a coffin or hung on the wall - everything depended on the wishes of the relatives.
The catacombs are divided into several sections. One of them contains the mummies of priests, the other belongs entirely to women, whose corpses in half-rotted skirts and with torn umbrellas in their hands look especially creepy. The virgins are buried separately.
There is also a children's room in the underground. The untimely departed crumbs rest here in their best clothes. Among them is little Rosalina, which the locals have long considered a doll. However, researchers have proven that the girl's body was mummified using ancient chemicals that allowed it to survive so well.
In various cities and towns of Sicily, the Capuchins created other underground crypts in imitation of the Palermitian Catacombs, in which mummified bodies are also exhibited. The most famous of these crypts are the Capuchin Catacombs in Savoca, where about fifty mummies of the local clergy and nobility are kept.
The study of ancient mummies allowed scientists to learn a lot about diseases and life expectancy of people in the past centuries.
Recommended for viewing: Mummies of Sicily