But why did the body of little Rosalia Lombardo remain in the Capuchin Catacombs for so long? 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. Rosalia Lombardo: The mystery of the Blinking Mummy, Present condition of Rosalia Lombardos mummy: The preserved corpse was relocated. We can only imagine the agony of the parents of little Rosalia. Luckily for the scientific community they consented and Dario found a handwritten memoir reveling the exact formula injected into Rosalia. Her body was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. In the 100 years since her death in 1920, Rosalia has become interwoven with Sicilian lore. She now attracts thousands of visitors to the Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily where she lays forever encased in glass. When he uncovered this trove of the embalmers papers, he stumbled upon the document where the embalmer recorded all the chemicals that were injected in the body of Rosalia. In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. The mummy is still one of the tombs finest preserved corpses. Thanks to these tricks it will be possible to keep this body intact for a long, long time. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 6 December 1920)[1] was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu,[2] one week before her second birthday. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The mummy is one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. The monks agreed and she was one of the last mummies placed in the catacombs. It is a location rich in history between Europe and Africa on the banks of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is so amazingly well-maintained that even X-rays show the internal organs to be intact. Then, later in 2009 Dario Piombino-Mascali, a biological anthropologist sought out Alfredos living descendants and asked to go through his things for clues as to the formula. 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. Alfredo Salaria arrived at the house of the Lombardo spouses, located in Piazza San Francesco di Paola, about 24 hours after the child's death. Rosalia's father, Official Mario Lomba. Thanks to Salafia, the body was well preserved. He approached a popular embalmer, Alfredo Salafia and asked to have her preserved for eternity. [5] To address these issues, the mummy was moved to a drier spot in the catacombs, and her original coffin was placed in a hermetically sealed glass enclosure with nitrogen gas to prevent decay. Amazingly, 8000 skeletons (although a more accurate number is said to be closer to 2,000) and around 1250 mummies inhabit the catacombs. VAT No. Life is full of constant reminders that we will one day die. Further studies however, including time-lapse photos by National Geographic, show that Rosalia does in fact blink several times an hour! Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. To tell the truth, many people claim to have seen his eyelids blink. In the 1970s, the notes describing Rosalias mummification were found. You will then receive an email that helps you regain access. It is possible that contact with the air before its replacement may have resulted in damage. Surely, some will say, Alfredo Salaria has studied a lot to obtain this surprising result. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Source: Sibeaster / Public Domain. There are those who claim that it is a mere optical illusion, caused by how the light falls on those half-closed eyelids. 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. Her mummified body, sometimes referred to as 'Sleeping Beauty', was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin . Rosalia captures the hearts of thousands each year. Most visitors to her mummified remains say she is a miracle because she blinks even though she has been dead for a long time. Rosalia Lombardos remains is housed in a tiny chapel at the end of the catacomb tour, enclosed in a glass-covered coffin on a wooden pedestal. The empty body is then filled with natron salts, which desiccate it. [2] Her mummified body, sometimes referred to as "Sleeping Beauty", was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Later it became part of the Roman and Arab Empires before unifying with the modern-day Kingdom of Italy in 1861. If you think you have been blocked in error, contact the owner of this site for assistance. Mario Lombardo Collection: FamilySearch Family Tree Birth: 1890 - Italy Death: 1980 Wife: Maria Lombardo (born Di Cara) Children: Rosalia Lombardo, Rosalia Lombardo View the Record view all Immediate Family Maria Di Cara wife Rosalia Lombardo daughter Rosalia Lombardo daughter About Mario Lombardo You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools, or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence. According to the laws of the time, in fact, the embalmed bodies should have remained in the Catacombs only temporarily, only to later find a definitive burial, a burial that Rosalia never had. Salafia recorded the chemicals he injected into Rosalias body: formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin., Formalin (formaldehyde and water) eliminates bacteria 2022 History of Yesterday | All Rights Reserved. Life goes on happily for Mario and Maria. Mario, her father, approached Alfredo Salafia, embalmer and taxidermist, to preserve her. But the proof of her heritage doesn't exist. Further analysis of the body show that all the organs are intact. Required fields are marked *. But, this supposed sister is strangely quiet and difficult to learn about. The heartbroken father of Rosalia sought the help of an embalmer named Alfredo Salafia to preserve his childs body. King Abu Bakr IIs mysterious voyage: Was America discovered in the early 14th century? Mario Lombardo refused to bury her daughter, claiming that losing his son had left him distraught. Many of these ingredients are commonly used today, but the shining star of this concoction is the zinc salts which essentially petrified her body. Rosalia Lombardos Xray By National Geographic. They were famed for their Romanesque architecture, characterized by semi-circular arches. Moreover, her striking crystal blue eyes are also visible underneath the blonde eyelashes. Avid Writer with invaluable knowledge of Humanity! But the magical element was the zinc salts which gave Rosalias body rigidity. To address these concerns, Rosalia Lombardos body was relocated to a more dry area of the catacombs, and her original coffin was put in a hermetically sealed glass container filled with nitrogen gas to prevent further decomposition. Mario Lombardo, her father, wanted to uncover the specific cause of her death so he could "blame" someone. But let's go back to that December 6, 1920. The embalming of the body of Rosalia Lombardo by Alfredo Salaria. Get notified of the best booming posts weekly. The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site. ", "Why Does This Child Mummy Appear to Open And Close Her Eyes? Sister of Rosalia Lombardo. Rosalia's body was one of the last to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. One piece of evidence pointing to Mario being her father is that he supposedly named his second daughter Rosalia (after the first). Source: Multidetector CT investigation of the mummy of Rosalia Lombardo (19181920): https://www.academia.edu/4992159/Multidetector_CT_investigation_of_ Geni requires JavaScript! The combination of these ingredients worked to preserve the body. Who is right? [1][8] Rossella Lorenzi of Discovery News reported that the formalin was used to kill bacteria, the glycerin used to prevent desiccation, and the salicylic acid used to eliminate any fungi within the flesh, with the purpose of the zinc salts being petrifaction. A 2009 National Geographic photograph of Rosalia Lombardo shows the mummy is beginning to show signs of decomposition, most notably discoloration. The eyes are half closed, so that the face can appear even more relaxed and sweet, an intense serenity. Husband of Maria Di Cara Even if the little girl's body has not found a worthy burial, the choice to embalm her so as to be able to give her eternal rest and to give her name to her little sister are the clear sign of how much Rosalia was loved. 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. Her story to this day is passed on by the monks who still work in the catacombs. (In Pics) Ten Extinct Animals which Survive only in Drawings. Rosalias dead body has caught the attention of everyone, as people have noticed her eyelids move many times, seeming like she is blinking. They are arranged in sections such as religious figures, professions, women, virgins and children. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_8',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');However,Dario Piombino- Mascali, the curator of Capuchin Catacombs has assured us that all that people are seeing is, in fact, an optical illusion. One piece of evidence pointing to Mario being her father is that he supposedly named his second daughter Rosalia (after the first). Her father, Mario Lombardo, was so grief stricken that he asked an embalmer to preserve Rosalia's remains. Rosalia Lombardo (December 13, 1918 in Palermo, Italy - December 6, 1920), was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. But in doing so, she became something larger than life. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. (Sibeaster / Wikimedia Commons). One of the properties that makes Rosalia such a beautiful mummy is the embalming process that was used to preserve her. X-rays of the body reveal that all of the organs are extremely healthy. Mario Lombardo is an infantry officer who only on this day discovers what happiness is, true happiness. She lies in the coffin, glass-covered and on a wooden pedestal. 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. Indeed, she is nicknamed the sleeping beauty. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) [1] was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, [2] one week before her second birthday. These questions arise spontaneously. Via Panepinto 8 I-92022 Cammarata (Ag) Italy Shes located in the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily with over 8,000 other mummies. The corpse was preserved nearly perfectly due to the dry atmosphere inside the Catacomb. Impossible to answer these questions. But Salafia did something different. Her golden blonde hair is very neatly tied with a beautiful silk bow. Rosalia Lombardo (December 13, 1918 - December 6, 1920), was an Italian child who passed away of pneumonia. Available at: https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/06/mystery-of-blinking-child-mummy-solved.html. There are those who believe that it is really her, little Rosalia, who blinks forever, almost a way to communicate with the world of the living. Her mummified body was preserved in theCatacombe dei Cappuccini(The Capuchin Catacombs)in Palermo, a place filled with mummified bodies and corpses of other people throughout history. Log In Once logged in, you can add biography in the database. Why is there an Elephant Buried Beneath the Vatican. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. The problem at the time, was that no one knew how Rosalia had been preserved. 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. Managed by: David Nicholas Yustin: Home. Mario Lombardo, Rosalia's father, was determined to find out the exact cause of her death in order to assign blame. A century has passed, but her corpse still looks like the little girl is just dozing under the glass case of the casket. Rosalia Lombardo is known by many names; The Worlds Most Beautiful Mummy, Sleeping Beauty, The Girl In The Glass Coffin and of course: The Best Preserved Mummy In The World. The little girl died and her father was extremely upset. In fact, it seems that Alfredo Salaria did not undertake any university career. The researchers wanted to see what state his body was in. He also sought the embalmers elixir of preservation which has kept her form so perfect even until this day. On December 6, 1920, a few days after her second birthday, Rosalia died. Its stunning streets and crossroads run to the Capuchin Monastery, another building of fine intricate beauty. In fact, the body of little Rosalia has organs in a perfect state of preservation and you can see how one lung is denser than the other, a clear sign that the little girl actually fell ill with bronchopneumonia. The paraffin dissolved in the ether, then wiped on the girls face, making it look like she is looking directly at those who are looking at her. Piombino-Mascali hopes that visitors will stop making any new stories about the little child mummy. 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