A 2009 National Geographic photograph of Rosalia Lombardo shows the mummy is beginning to show signs of decomposition, most notably discoloration. Piombino-Mascali hopes that visitors will stop making any new stories about the little child mummy. The Remains of Dead US Presidents Will Be Sent Into Space, The Man Who Surgically Brought Back Unicorns. Within Palermo, the catacombs are a short walk from the city center, but public transportation is also available. The techniques used by Alfredo Salafia have marveled many. Thanks to Salafia, the body was well preserved. Indeed, it is quite difficult to gaze at the little body lying in the glass coffin and still not believe that the girl will awaken at any moment. Rosalia's face has very sweet features, with the plump cheeks of a two-year-old girl, delicately framed by fair hair. Her curly blonde hair and a ribbon on it make her look like she is just sleeping. Mario and Maria are not married at the time of Rosalia's birth, but they are very much in love. Rosalia Lombardo, was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. The beautifully peaceful yet pallid face of the fallen angel Rosalia Lombardo is a chilling aide-mmoire that death can come anytime and to anyone. A visit to the Catacombs of Capuchin is the ultimate reminder or Memento Mori (in Latin) that we too will join the endless ranks of the dead alas perhaps in not such a spectacular setting. This, combined with the light which is filtrated in different ways during the day through the windows of the catacombs makes the girls eyes look like they are open.A team of researchers performing X-ray on Rosalias body (Source:National Geographic)This X-ray clearly shows Rosalias arms and feet (Source:National Geographic)The X-ray of Rosalia showed her brain and liver intact. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 6 December 1920)[1] was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. Your email address will not be published. It is interesting how we have reached a technological point that allows us to analyze such mummies without the need of them being touched or at risk of deterioration. People have witnessed that her eyes open slowly, and that the eyes seem to glisten due to the low lights in the catacombs. Rosalias father, Official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved upon her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to preserve her. Its thought that changes in temperature inside the crypt cause her eyelids to contract to produce the blinking effect. Sister of Rosalia Lombardo. The anthropologist then realized that her eyes were actually never closed, and it had only been a trick of the light that made them seem so. Luckily for the scientific community they consented and Dario found a handwritten memoir reveling the exact formula injected into Rosalia. But, this supposed sister is strangely quiet and difficult to learn about. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was distraught by her death and asked embalmer Alfredo Salafia to preserve her remains. But what curiosity are we talking about? Your access to this service has been limited. The story of Rosalia Lombardo got to Profesor Salafia, therefore he never charged the father for his services. Advertising Disclosure: This content may use referral links. Her mummified body, sometimes referred to as 'Sleeping Beauty', was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin . It is difficult to untangle the feelings aroused by Rosalia, innocent and young, yet frozen between worlds, un-allowed to decay least her family lose her spirit forever. Rosalia Lombardo (Born December 13, 1918 and Died December 6, 1920) was a Palmerian toddler who died one week before her second birthday from pneumonia caused by the Spanish flu. These questions arise spontaneously. We can only imagine the agony of the parents of little Rosalia. A multitude of skeletons line the walls in these catacombs to give a more than eerie vibe, and having experienced it for myself a strange sensation runs through as one enters the cold surroundings. The preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo, as photographed by National Geographic in 2009, has started to show indications of decomposition most notably discoloration. Rosalia Lombardo (December 13, 1918 in Palermo, Italy - December 6, 1920), was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. Her premature death at age two left her father grief-stricken. But even so, there are many who prefer to believe that her spirit really does return to her body! Compared to when the body was placed in the Catacombs of the Capuchins, it seems that the skin of the child's face has become darker and that the hair has instead lightened, from brown to blond. Even the best body at some point goes towards a process of decomposition, even if only partial. In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. Friars live their lives in servitude to society and the Capuchin friars created a monastery which in due course had the crypts below it excavated in 1599 when the graveyards filled henceforth known as the Catacombs of the Capuchins. Rosalia was an Italian child who died in 1918 in Palermo. A symbol of love, death, loss and a reminder of just how short life can be. Rosalia's father, official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved upon her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to undertake the task of preserving her. However, once down the stairs the scene begins to change to a more basic overlay. I wrote about the Capuchin Catacombs already, but essentially, the Catacombs were a place where the dead were displayed in order to be visited by the living. But let's go back to that December 6, 1920. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The little girl died and her father was extremely upset. Read more on Wikipedia. These cookies do not store any personal information. COPYRIGHT UNSOLVED MYSTERIES & PARANORMAL ACTIVITIES, 2017-2018. [7], "Multidetector CT investigation of the mummy of Rosalia Lombardo (19181920)", "In the Catacombs of the Capuchin Monastery in Palermo", "Why Does This Mummy Appear To Open And Close Her Eyes? However, they are not perfectly closed, they are actually ajar, as if it were sleeping, yes, but on the verge of waking up. The typical embalming procedures include the complete removal of organs. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The heartbroken father of Rosalia sought the help of an embalmer named Alfredo Salafia to preserve his childs body. This process does not offer any kind of respect for the facial features, but despite this there were many people who sought such treatment. Many others thought that the eyes might blink due to the temperature changes inside the catacomb, which made her eyelids contract and thus produced the blink-like effect. The body was so amazingly preserved that Rosalias body is intact over 100 years later. The results were staggering, showing that she was indeed truly a mummy and that even her organs were still in functional condition. Rosalia's body remains in perfect condition despite more than 100 years having passed, but it is also true that researchers and scholars have created a specially designed latest generation case for the little sleeping beauty of Sicily. This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. Genealogy profile for Mario Lombardo. Her body is starting to take on a yellow waxy skin texture. The body of Rosalia is famous among the 8,000 bodies present in these catacombs under the Capuchin convent. Of him who gave eternal sleep to many bodies, of him who transformed Rosalia's body into a masterpiece, all that remains is a pile of bones. After which, they were bathed in vinegar and stuffed with hay. In fact, the only proof Rosalia the mummy has a sister is that there is a Rosalia Lombardo who was in discussion with the Sicilian government about the poor treatment of Rosalia by National Geographic. The older we get, the more constant they appear. (The oldest is a friar from 1599 called Silvestro da Gubbio). But the girl, whose second birthday celebration would have been in just seven days, had lost her fight against pneumonia, and with it all, Mario had . [7] The embalming formula is described as "one part glycerin, one part formalin saturated with zinc sulfate and zinc chloride, and one part of an alcohol solution saturated with salicylic acid", and was entered into the body through a single-point injection, most likely into the femoral artery via a gravity injector. Who is wrong? The paraffin dissolved in the ether, then applied on the girls face, creates the illusion that she is staring straight at whoever is staring at her. You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools, or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence. Why is there an Elephant Buried Beneath the Vatican. In the 1970s, the notes describing Rosalias mummification were found. Created By: Gillian Sarah | Copyright 2018 Kelsea Ventures, style="display:block; text-align:center;" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3840146551937959" data-ad-slot="9292028712">. The notes are yet another formula for several chemicals used in mummification: Rosalia Lombardo is also known as the Capuchin Catacombs Sleeping Beauty. Her mummified remains has been kept at Palermos Catacombe dei Cappuccini, a location packed with mummified bodies and other peoples corpses from throughout history. A city steeped in religious history; it was also home to a Catholic sect called the Capuchins (An order of friars and one of the main offshoots of the Franciscan order created by famous religious devout Francis of Assisi). Her grieving father couldn't settle . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'historyofyesterday_com-box-3','ezslot_6',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-box-3-0');ummification, even if still practiced to this day in remote cultures, is very rare in the western world. Managed by: David Nicholas Yustin: Rosalia's body was one of the last to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. One resident was not famous in her short life but became infamous in death. Others passed this phenomenon off as changes of the light. The two are more and more in love, they lead a comfortable and peaceful life and their little girl grows up beautiful, healthy and strong. Rosalia Lombardo's father, official Mario Lombardo, was severely upset by the death of his loved daughter and contacted a famous Sicilian embalmer, Alfredo Salafia, to preserve the body of Rosalia. The impact of a new culture of Nordic tradition on Sicily in the 11th-12th century led to a new architectural style: Palermos Arab-Norman architecture introduced innovative elements from the north of Europe, such astowers at the sides of faades, within Byzantine layouts, such as the greek-cross plan inscribed in a square, and structural or decorative details of Islamic origin, such as pointed arches. He also sought the embalmers elixir of preservation which has kept her form so perfect even until this day. Mario was grieving so much after her death that he asked Alfredo Salafia (a well-known Italian chemist) to mummify her and keep her as alive as possible (looking). Looking closer, you can notice that her eyelids are not completely closed, which was most likely done with Alfredo Salafias goal of making her more alive. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Some said this was her spirit returning to her body. 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Alfredo Salafia was regarded as the finest because of his extensive knowledge in the preservation of corpses. Required fields are marked *. He then approached the monks who ran the Capuchin Catacombs and begged for his daughter to be placed there. The glass case also protects the body from any effects of light. Some photographs taken in sequence, at intervals of about one minute, also offered a similar testimony. Mario and Maria are not married at the time of Rosalia's birth, but they are very much in love. Life goes on happily for Mario and Maria. Not only that, he also added paraffin, duly dissolved in ether. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Rosalia is surrounded by many other bodies, over 8000, who sleep their eternal sleep in the Catacombs of the Capuchins. There are those who claim that it is a mere optical illusion, caused by how the light falls on those half-closed eyelids. 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