all right reserved. 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. 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. It also appears that over the years, perhaps the 1960s or 1970s, the glass in the coffin broke. General Mario Lombardo, who is said to have been so grief-stricken when she died that he refused to bury her and instead chose to have her body preserved. That same year, Capuchin catacombs curator Dario Piombino-Mascali discovered a handwritten manuscript written by Salafia, wherein he lists the ingredients used to mummify Rosalia. He made a small puncture and injected a mixture of zinc salts, formalin, glycerin, and salicylic acid. VAT No. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Is it better to believe in science or in the irrational? Another writer speaks of the temptation and sights that Palermo offers to some famous people of history past, Aunique cultural heritagethat in many centuries has attracted and fascinated onlookers from all over the world, including many intellectuals, poets and writers such asAlexandre Dumas, Mario Praz, Guy de Maupassant, Fanny Lewald and Carlo Levi.. Mario and Maria are not married at the time of Rosalia's birth, but they are very much in love. While Rosalia was mostly kept intact during embalming, her blood was drained and replaced by the magical formula used by Alfredo. [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. What is certain, however, is that Alfredo Salaria was a great lover of chemistry as well as anatomy and over the years he had the opportunity to do many experiments, first on animal bodies, then starting from the early 1900s also on human corpses. Bipin Dimri is a writer from India with an educational background in Management Studies. But the proof of her heritage doesnt exist. Missing Three Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers. Piombino-Mascali made this amazing discovery in 2009 after some of the workers in the museum moved her coffin, which caused her body to shift a little bit. Most visitors to her mummified remains say she is a miracle because she blinks even though she has been dead for a long time. This entry was posted by Caleb Wilde on March 1, 2015 at 9:18 pm, and is filed under Aggregate Death. It is December 13, 1918. (The oldest is a friar from 1599 called Silvestro da Gubbio). Others passed this phenomenon off as changes of the light. Some photographs taken in sequence, at intervals of about one minute, also offered a similar testimony. The body of Rosalia is famous among the 8,000 bodies present in these catacombs under the Capuchin convent. She now attracts thousands of visitors to the Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily where she lays forever encased in glass. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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. To tell the truth, many people claim to have seen his eyelids blink. Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl, died in 1920 from an intensified case of bronchopneumonia, a kind of pneumonia that involves inflammation in the alveoli. Rosalia died due to pneumonia in a region which becomes extremely cold in the winter months. In fact, a few years ago it was realized that the girl's face was going to meet a normal decay. Rosalia died due to pneumonia in a region which becomes extremely cold in the winter months. We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. The Lombardo family was Italian, and despite the fact that the Spanish flu pandemic was coming to an end, the girls pneumonia appeared to have been caused by this lethal illness. Rosalia Lombardo. [3] Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty", hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. The embalming took place right there, in that house where the little girl lived her first two years of life, happy and surrounded by the love of her family. [8], The mummy has achieved further notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises. X-rays of the body show that all the organs are remarkably intact. The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site. But in doing so, she became something larger than life. Her father was so grief-stricken that he sought the aid of an embalmer and taxidermist to preserve his child. ", "This Mummified Two-Year-Old Appears to Blink Every Day", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosalia_Lombardo&oldid=1135738502, Sleeping Beauty of the Capuchin Catacombs, Being in an especially well preserved state in her tomb, in the, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 15:26. He approached a popular embalmer, Alfredo Salafia and asked to have her preserved for eternity. Glycerin keeping the body from becoming too dry The body was so amazingly preserved that Rosalias body is intact over 100 years later. But why did the body of little Rosalia Lombardo remain in the Capuchin Catacombs for so long? 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. Some believed that some supernatural force was at work, and that the mummy actually blinked. Alcohol dries the body It was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenician Empire who we have spoken about many times onSTSTW Mediaas one of the defining civilisations of our time. Mario was so devastated by her death that he asked Alfredo Salafia (a well-known Italian pharmacist) to mummify her and keep her as alive as possible (by looking). A symbol of love, death, loss and a reminder of just how short life can be. 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 story of Rosalia is speculated, but unknown. Rosalia Lombardo, was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. After washing with vinegar, they were filled with straw and then dressed. He has worked on many projects in the past including tzi the Tyrolean Iceman from Italy and the Kabayan Mummies also known as the fire mummies of the Philippines. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, one week before her second birthday. Biblio data only below the dashed line. Her father, Mario Lombardo wanted to know the exact cause of her death in order to blame someone. Researchers and scholars had made many hypotheses, but without any evidence and without having official documentation. A century has passed, but her corpse still looks like the little girl is just dozing under the glass case of the casket. : 02075400842, 2023 by Albaincoming Eurofirst Tours. 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. Rosalia's face has very sweet features, with the plump cheeks of a two-year-old girl, delicately framed by fair hair. [6] The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. The other bodies present in the catacombs. The mummy is one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. These blue eyes, like the rest of her body, are remarkably intact. Rosalia Lombardos Xray By National Geographic. A strange phenomenon that scared all tourists visiting the catacombs was that the mummy was blinking. Her father Mario Lombardo, who was an local official, engaged noted embalmer, Alfredo Salafia to mummify her body. This is a place that you have certainly heard of several times and that we can assure you, deserves to be visited at least once in a lifetime. If you think you have been blocked in error, contact the owner of this site for assistance. Generated by Wordfence at Thu, 2 Mar 2023 1:21:04 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. Her grieving father couldn't settle . 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. La Pascualita: An Extremely Well-Preserved Corpse, or an Eerily Life-like Mannequin? Xolotl the Dog God of the Aztec mythology that guides the dead to the underworld, The Ebers Papyrus: Ancient Egyptian medical text reveals medico-magical beliefs and beneficial treatments. Alba incoming - Eurofirst Tours The salts preserved her appearance perfectly, even preventing her nasal cavities and her cheeks from caving in. The story was a tragedy by all accounts: Mario Lombardo, now a grieving father, couldn't bear the thought of a life without ever being able to see the face of his beloved child, Rosalia, again. Her father, Mario Lombardo, was so grief stricken that he asked an embalmer to preserve Rosalias remains. Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl, died in 1920 from an intensified case of bronchopneumonia, a kind of pneumonia that involves inflammation in the alveoli. Maria Cara Lombardo e Mario Lombardo, i genitori della piccola Rosalia (per gentile concessione della Famiglia Lombardo) . It should be remembered that in 1925, five years after Rosalia's death, the Lombard couple had another baby girl, who was called with the same name as their little sister, in her eternal memory. It seems that it was the video surveillance cameras that noticed this light and slow movement. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was distraught by her death and asked embalmer Alfredo Salafia to preserve her remains. 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. (In Pics) Ten Extinct Animals which Survive only in Drawings. King Abu Bakr IIs mysterious voyage: Was America discovered in the early 14th century? All of which would have had a unique story to tell. Curiosities about the body of Rosalia, who seems to be blinking. Coming to this conclusion was not difficult for them. Many people believed that Lombardo had opened her eyes a fraction of an inch in a composite of many time-lapse photographs. Within Palermo, the catacombs are a short walk from the city center, but public transportation is also available. Rosalias body is now preserved in a new glass coffin, which is designed to block the growth of fungi or bacteria. 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. Recently, the mummification techniques used by Salafia were discovered in a handwritten memoir of Salafias. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason, therefore, if in the end Rosalia's body has always remained there, where it was first placed. They are arranged in sections such as religious figures, professions, women, virgins and children. 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. Piombino-Mascali hopes that visitors will stop making any new stories about the little child mummy. COPYRIGHT UNSOLVED MYSTERIES & PARANORMAL ACTIVITIES, 2017-2018. Her name is Rosalia Lombardo who died on November 6th, 1920 with only two summers to her name and remains the youngest on show. In short, Rosalia is a 98 year old mummy. Zinc to petrify the body. Many of these ingredients are commonly used today, but the shining star of this concoction is the zinc salts which essentially petrified her body. Some researchers, who had the opportunity to study the girl's body, later discovered that it was most likely bronchopneumonia, discarding the other theories instead. First solid scientific evidence that Vikings brought animals to Britain, 500,000-year-old tools in Polish cave may have belonged to extinct hominid species. Her premature death at age two left her father grief-stricken. The changing direction of the light through the day makes Rosalias eyes seem to open and close many times. Rosalia Lombardos angel face pushed him to improve the preservation technique in order to preserve its natural beauty. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. all right reserved COOKIES & PRIVACY POLICY, 2023 by Albaincoming Eurofirst Tours. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Her body is starting to take on a yellow waxy skin texture. Mario Lombardo is an infantry officer who only on this day discovers what happiness is, true happiness. Alfredo Salafia, a taxidermist, and a skillful embalmer, then mummified the dead body of Rosalia Lombardo with impressive skill, preserving her so well that even her internal organs were kept intact. Home. The combination of these ingredients worked to preserve the body. 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. 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. Enjoyed this article? 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. Her name is Rosalia Lombardo who died on November 6th, 1920 with only two summers to her name and remains the youngest on show. Later it became part of the Roman and Arab Empires before unifying with the modern-day Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Rosalia was born on December 13, 1918 and died on December 6, 1920 of pneumonia. There are those who claim that it is a mere optical illusion, caused by how the light falls on those half-closed eyelids. Advertising Disclosure: This content may use referral links. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. Her curly blonde hair and a ribbon on it make her look like she is just sleeping. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark? 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. This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. Her golden blonde hair is very neatly tied with a beautiful silk bow. Nobody can answer these questions, a mystery that after all it is perhaps good that it remains so. (The oldest is a friar from 1599 called Silvestro da Gubbio). But let's go back to that December 6, 1920. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920)[1] was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. Thanks to Salafia's embalming techniques, the body was well-preserved. People were curious to know what was causing the dead body to blink. Life goes on happily for Mario and Maria. The corpse was preserved nearly perfectly due to the dry atmosphere inside the Catacomb. Moreover, her striking crystal blue eyes are also visible underneath the blonde eyelashes. Are also visible underneath the blonde eyelashes about the little child mummy preserved bodies in the?. 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