Catacombs of Capuchins
The underground cemetery of the Convent of the Capuchins of Palermo, known as catacombe dei Cappuccini , collects about eight thousand mummified bodies deposited from the seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century in the galleries built under the Convent and the adjacent church dedicated to the Madonna della Pace.
Originally, only the monks could be buried inside the Catacombs of the Capuchin Monastery. But over time, many Sicilians, mostly from noble families, asked to be buried there. In their will, the dead also chose the clothes with which they wished to be embalmed. Families could visit them and make donations to the monastery, allowing the monks to keep the bodies.
Thanks to the micro - climatic conditions of these burial places and the embalming methods used by the friars, the bodies are very well preserved. The visit is particularly impressive because most of these bodies are displayed on the walls and are still extremely well preserved. The most famous mummy , and among the best preserved in the world, is Rosalia , a 2-year-old girl who died of pneumonia. Her hair and face are so well preserved that she appears to be sleeping.
