The visit to the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo is not for the faint-hearted, with the macabre atmosphere of mummified bodies and skeletons still dressed in their period clothing.
Overview and visit
It was in the underground chambers of the Capuchin convent that the catacomb galleries were laid out from 1599, forming a large rectangular cemetery that was enlarged over time.
The friars began to use a pit near the church of Santa Maria della Pace, from which they exhumed certain bodies that they found naturally mummified. This prompted them to continue the preservation and display of the remains.
Originally intended for the monks, this cemetery opened to the Palermo elite during the 17th century. Being buried there indeed became prestigious, and the donation made to the Capuchins was often given in exchange for the preservation and display of the bodies.
Nearly 8,000 embalmed corpses are preserved there, most from the 19th century, arranged according to various criteria such as social category, sex or profession (men, women, virgins, children, priests, monks, professions), with sometimes family groups, where the clothing and attributes indicate the social position or profession of the deceased.
The most recent burial dates from 1920 with a two-year-old girl, Rosalia Lombardo, placed in a crystal coffin. A special embalming technique was used on this occasion.
Where are the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo
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Information
Catacombe dei Cappuccini
Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo
External sites
- Wikipedia page
- Tourist portals: turismo.comune.palermo.it