We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The glass case also protects the body from any effects of light. 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. If you want to visit Rosalia, youre not alone. But in doing so, she became something larger than life. She now attracts thousands of visitors to the Capuchin Catacombs in Sicily where she lays forever encased in glass. The Normans were a group from France unified by a famous Viking called Rollo who took over much of Europe. Recommended Visit: Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark? Nothing to do with Rosalia's body! This entry was posted by Caleb Wilde on March 1, 2015 at 9:18 pm, and is filed under Aggregate Death. Mario Lombardo is an infantry officer who only on this day discovers what happiness is, true happiness. Rosalia Lombardo - The Blinking Mummy . Her name is Rosalia Lombardo, and she died of pneumonia caused by the Spanish Flu just one week shy of her second birthday in 1920. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. A corridor of mummies inside the catacombs. The eyes slightly open and reveal the intact blue irises. 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. 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The Lombardo family was Italian, and despite the fact that the Spanish flu pandemic was coming to an end, the girl's pneumonia appeared to have been caused by this lethal illness. Agatha Christies Disappearance: Amnesia, Suicide, or Despair? Home. Rosalia Lombardos angel face pushed him to improve the preservation technique in order to preserve its natural beauty. Their families would continue to fund the monks who cared for the deceased for example with new clothes. This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. Heres some history and a video: Rosalia Lombardo (December 13, 1918 in Palermo, Italy December 6, 1920), was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. 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. The skin of Rosalia still appears very smooth, as if it is made of porcelain. Rosalia Lombardo, was an Italian child who died of pneumonia. In regards to the prized and most adored attraction Roaslia -a glass case has been added with Nitrogen gas to further stop the process of decay after signs of decomposition began to show in 2009. Salafia replaced the girls blood with a liquid made of formalin to kill bacteria, alcohol to dry the body, glycerin to keep her from overdrying, salicylic acid to kill fungi, and zinc salts to give her body rigidity. Connect to 3,088 Lombardo profiles on Geni, Dec 13 1918 - Palermo, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Dec 6 1920 - Palermo, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Mario Lombardo, Maria Lombardo (ne Di Cara), Cause of death: Pneumonia - Dec 6 1920 - Palermo, Mario Lombardo, Maria Lombardo (born Di Cara), Palermo, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Palermo, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. This mix of substances was injected directly through an incision in the femoral artery. The Lombardo family was from Italy and even if the Spanish flu pandemic was coming to an end, it seems that the girl's pneumonia was caused by this deadly virus. The little girl died and her father was extremely upset. Required fields are marked *. Rosalia was born on December 13, 1918 and died on December 6, 1920 of pneumonia. Rosalia's body remains in perfect condition despite more than 100 years having passed, but it is also true that researchers and scholars have created a specially designed latest generation case for the little sleeping beauty of Sicily. Powered by WordPress and Mystique theme by digitalnature | RSS Feeds, Working at the Crossroads of Life and Death, When the Public Viewing of a Mutilated Body is a Statement: The Funeral of Emmett Till. Mario and Maria are not married at the time of Rosalia's birth, but they are very much in love. Piombino-Mascali hopes that visitors will stop making any new stories about the little child mummy. The changing direction of the light through the day makes Rosalias eyes seem to open and close many times. 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. 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. 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. Thanks to Salafias embalming techniques, the body was well preserved. 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. What is even more interesting is that upon an X-ray of the mummified corpse, it seems that Rosalinas organs have been perfectly conserved. The body of Rosalia Lombardo is certainly not the first on which Alfredo Salaria put his hands, considered one of the best embalmers of the twentieth century, chosen by many noble families over the years to create bodies for their loved ones. Most of the people that go to visit her mummified body believe that she is a miracle since she keeps blinking even though she has been dead for a long time. Within Palermo, the catacombs are a short walk from the city center, but public transportation is also available. 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It seems that it was a common practice to insert a bottle in the coffin containing the reagent capable of preventing the formation of mold and ensuring that the body was preserved longer. Life goes on happily for Mario and Maria. 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. Many find it too overwhelming to be underground with what looks like an army of the dead from a horror film, including an Argentinian companion of mine who had to surface for air and rejoin the mortal beings above. And the body of Alfredo Salaria? 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. Her father Mario Lombardo, who was an local official, engaged noted embalmer, Alfredo Salafia to mummify her body. The mummification was so complex that in 2009 National Geographic took X-ray and MRI scans of Rosalia to determine if she was truly mummified, or if she was a wax replica. ", "Why Does This Child Mummy Appear to Open And Close Her Eyes? So ajar, they always seem on the verge of opening up, as if there is a hope that that little girl can return to life. ", "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. Glycerin prevented her body from desiccating or drying out. Her body was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. The story of Rosalia is speculated, but unknown. Many people believed that Lombardo had opened her eyes a fraction of an inch in a composite of many time-lapse photographs. Rosalia is surrounded by many other bodies, over 8000, who sleep their eternal sleep in the Catacombs of the Capuchins. Her story to this day is passed on by the monks who still work in the catacombs. Her body is kept in a small chapel placed on a wooden pedestal. However, they are not perfectly closed, they are actually ajar, as if it were sleeping, yes, but on the verge of waking up. He was always waiting for . Life is full of constant reminders that we will one day die. Zinc salts to keep a state of preservation Who is right? Husband of Maria Di Cara This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Researchers and scholars had made many hypotheses, but without any evidence and without having official documentation. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Source: Sibeaster / Public Domain. Not only do visitors swear that the little girls eyes blink, but many sequences of photographs seem to confirm that her eyelids open and close a little. Mario Lombardo, her father, wanted to uncover the specific cause of her death so he could "blame" someone. The zinc sulfate was used to petrify the body. Perhaps the period close to the feast of the dead is precisely the most suitable! But the girl, whose second birthday celebration would have been in just seven days, had lost her fight against pneumonia, and with it all, Mario had . These cookies do not store any personal information. 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. Your email address will not be published. However, things can go wrong. The dry climate within the Catacombe allowed the body to be preserved near perfection.Gif representing the photo of Rosalia Lombardo taken from different angles (Source: Public Domain). In the 100 years since her death in 1920, Rosalia has become interwoven with Sicilian lore. The monks agreed and she was one of the last mummies placed in the catacombs. Rosalia captures the hearts of thousands each year. In the 1970s, the notes describing Rosalias mummification were found. The Lombardo family was from Italy and even if the Spanish flu pandemic was coming to an end, it seems that the girls pneumonia was caused by this deadly virus. [9] In response to speculation about her moving eyelids, Piombino-Mascali stated that "It's an optical illusion produced by the light that filters through the side windows, which during the day is subject to change [her eyes] are not completely closed, and indeed they have never been". What happened to little Rosalia's body after she died. Genealogy for Mario Lombardo (1789 - 1864) family tree on Geni, with over 240 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Her father Mario Lombardo was understandably so beset with heartache that he sought out a renowned local embalmer by the name of Alfredo Salafia. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was distraught by her death and asked embalmer Alfredo Salafia to preserve her remains. Indeed, she is nicknamed the sleeping beauty. Later it became part of the Roman and Arab Empires before unifying with the modern-day Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason, therefore, if in the end Rosalia's body has always remained there, where it was first placed. Also, check out Children of Llullaillaco: Where Young Children Were Sacrificed to the Gods. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) was an Italian child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, one week shy of her second birthday. Alba incoming - Eurofirst Tours , thanks to the possibility that he was granted access to the anatomical school of Professor Randaccio. Why is there an Elephant Buried Beneath the Vatican. He used many modern and original techniques to mummify young Rosalia to perfection. Connect to 3,088 Lombardo profiles on Geni, Antonino Lombardo,
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