In 1920, a little girl known as Rosalia Lombardo died at the age of two due to an aggravated case of pneumonia. 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. Rosalia Lombardos angel face pushed him to improve the preservation technique in order to preserve its natural beauty. In the depths of the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily lies the dead body of a young girl in a wooden and glass casket. Accordingly, the formulas composition is one part glycerin, one part formalin saturated with both zinc sulfate and chloride, and one part of an alcohol solution saturated with salicylic acid.. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason that Rosalia's parents requested that the child's body be entrusted to Alfredo Salaria, one of the most famous embalmers of the twentieth century, with the hope in this way of being able to pay homage to the memory of the little girl, torn all too young to life, with the hope of being able to stop the passage of time. Full text data coming soon. Her body is kept in a small chapel placed on a wooden pedestal. Why is there an Elephant Buried Beneath the Vatican. Bronchopneumonia, diphtheria, typhus, over the years these have been the most widespread theories on the death of little Rosalia. 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, a two-year-old girl, died in 1920 from an intensified case of bronchopneumonia, a kind of pneumonia that involves inflammation in the alveoli. Further analysis of the body show that all the organs are intact. The first 3D image of Rosalia revealed that all the organs of her body are perfectly intact even after so many decades. She looks like a baby peacefully taking a nap, and although a blanket is placed over the coffin, the face is visible. When reports of Rosalia Lombardos eyes opening shocked the local community an Anthropologist called Dario Piombino-Mascali investigated the catacombs. 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). This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Catacombe dei Cappuccini | Palermo, Italy, Fact Analysis: Watch on Mario Lombardo was overcome by grief when his only child died of pneumonia. Rosalia was an Italian child who died in 1918 in Palermo. After the embalming, Rosalia was then transported to the Catacombs of the Capuchins, which was made possible by the mayor of the city, Giuseppe Lanza di Scalea, who in fact gave his permission. Mario Lombardo, Rosalia's father, was determined to find out the exact cause of her death in order to assign blame. [7], "Multidetector CT investigation of the mummy of Rosalia Lombardo (19181920)", "In the Catacombs of the Capuchin Monastery in Palermo", "Why Does This Mummy Appear To Open And Close Her Eyes? There are those who believe that it is really her, little Rosalia, who blinks forever, almost a way to communicate with the world of the living. They moved to other Italian cities and then also abroad, thus without having the opportunity to choose a cemetery where to bury their child. Rosalia Lombardos body is kept in a small chapel at the end of the catacombs tour and is encased in a glass covered coffin, placed on a wooden pedestal. What happened to little Rosalia's body after she died. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. 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. Alfredo Salafia was considered the best as he had a lot of experience preserving corpses. He made a small puncture and injected a mixture of zinc salts, formalin, glycerin, and salicylic acid. (Sibeaster / Wikimedia Commons). We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The body was so amazingly preserved that Rosalias body is intact over 100 years later. Genealogy profile for Mario Lombardo. 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. 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. 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. Even the best body at some point goes towards a process of decomposition, even if only partial. : 02075400842, 2023 by Albaincoming Eurofirst Tours. (HTTP response code 503). The mummy is still one of the tombs finest preserved corpses. This, along with the light that filters in various ways through the tombs windows throughout the day, causes the girls eyes to seem open. This entry was posted by Caleb Wilde on March 1, 2015 at 9:18 pm, and is filed under Aggregate Death. Her premature death at age two left her father grief-stricken. Her father was so grief-stricken that he sought the aid of an embalmer and taxidermist to preserve his child. Salafia recorded the chemicals he injected into Rosalias body: formalin, zinc salts, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin., Formalin (formaldehyde and water) eliminates bacteria Mario was grieving so much after her death that he asked Alfredo Salafia (a well-known Italian chemist) to mummify her and keep her as alive as possible (looking). Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 4 million WordPress sites. Why is he still there now that it's been over 100 years since his death? Maybe he finished middle school, nothing more. A city steeped in religious history; it was also home to a Catholic sect called the Capuchins (An order of friars and one of the main offshoots of the Franciscan order created by famous religious devout Francis of Assisi). The researchers wanted to see what state his body was in. In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. What is even more interesting is that upon an X-ray of the mummified corpse, it seems that Rosalinas organs have been perfectly conserved. Since 1920, her body has been lying in a glass-covered coffin, her head poking above a fading silk blanket. On December 6, 1920, a few days after her second birthday, Rosalia died. Generated by Wordfence at Thu, 2 Mar 2023 1:21:04 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString());. 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. The empty body is then filled with natron salts, which desiccate it. Enjoyed this article? 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 paraffin dissolved in the ether, then wiped on the girls face, making it look like she is looking directly at those who are looking at her. [1][8] Rossella Lorenzi of Discovery News reported that the formalin was used to kill bacteria, the glycerin used to prevent desiccation, and the salicylic acid used to eliminate any fungi within the flesh, with the purpose of the zinc salts being petrifaction. To address these concerns, Rosalia Lombardos body was relocated to a more dry area of the catacombs, and her original coffin was put in a hermetically sealed glass container filled with nitrogen gas to prevent further decomposition. 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. But the magical element was the zinc salts which gave Rosalias body rigidity. The catacombs of the Capuchins of Palermo. To tell the truth, many people claim to have seen his eyelids blink. Husband of Maria Di Cara Available at: https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/06/mystery-of-blinking-child-mummy-solved.html. The changing direction of the light through the day makes Rosalias eyes seem to open and close many times. The corpse was preserved nearly perfectly due to the dry atmosphere inside the Catacomb. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was distraught by her death and asked embalmer Alfredo Salafia to preserve her remains. Losing a child is always a tragedy, and if it is a child of just a few years of life, the tragedy is undoubtedly even greater and more difficult to bear. It was still a mystery until the curator of Capuchin catacombs, Dario Piombino-Mascali, proved a new theory. Further studies however, including time-lapse photos by National Geographic, show that Rosalia does in fact blink several times an hour! 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. For years the mix of chemicals that Alfredo Salaria used on Rosalia remained unknown, as well as the technique used. Rosalia Lombardos story reached Professor Salafia, as he never charged his father for his services. We are talking about the body of Rosalia Lombardo, a 2-year-old girl, who has been in the Catacombs for over 100 years, masterfully embalmed, in perfect condition, who also seems to be about to open her eyes and come back to life. Rosalias body is now preserved in a new glass coffin, which is designed to block the growth of fungi or bacteria. There is one last curiosity concerning Rosalia Lombardo. In 2009, an MRI scan of the little girl was performed, to see the state of preservation of the interior of the body. Recommended Visit: It is interesting how we have reached a technological point that allows us to analyze such mummies without the need of them being touched or at risk of deterioration. Some believed that some supernatural force was at work, and that the mummy actually blinked. Some photographs taken in sequence, at intervals of about one minute, also offered a similar testimony. 2022 History of Yesterday | All Rights Reserved. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. . Perhaps it is precisely for this reason, therefore, if in the end Rosalia's body has always remained there, where it was first placed. He has written for 8 years in a variety of fields including history, health and politics. Rosalia captures the hearts of thousands each year. 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