Crypt of Mummies of Gangi
The Crypt of the Mummies of Gangi , also known as the Museum of Death or the Crypt of the Priests A Fossa di Parrini, is a place where around 100 mummified bodies of clergymen are preserved in perfect condition. The crypt is located in the basement of the church of San Nicolò in Gangi.
The crypt consists of an entrance and three rooms: a large room where the chapel is located with niches that house the mummies of the priests; a second room where the ossuary is located; finally a place used for embalming where there is the table where the corpses were placed for drying and natural drying of liquids.
In the crypt there are the mummies of ecclesiastical dignitaries of Gangi, who died between 1728 and 1872, characterized by having death masks, which have been the subject of various scientific studies, which represent an attempt to reconstruct the faces of the deceased using wax. The ancient practice of embalming used was similar to that practiced by the Egyptians: the deceased was treated with special ointments, blindfolded and dressed in cassocks. The waxed head, for better conservation, was detached from the body and in turn fixed with a stick that started from below. Above each niche there is a plate with name, date of death and a sonnet that summarizes the work of the priest composed by the abbot and gangitano poet, Giuseppe Fedele Vitale, who was also buried in the crypt.
