An unmounted albumen print showing the catacombs of the Capuchin monks at Palermo in Sicily. Photographed by Giuseppe Incorpora (1834-1914) of Palermo, whose career as a photographer began in the 1860’s. He was later joined in the business by his sons, Francesco, Giovanni, and Salvatore. The studio is the subject of a recent monograph, Gli Incorpora 1860-1940, published by the Instituto Superiore per la Storia della Fotografia.
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (also Catacombe dei Cappuccini or Catacombs of the Capuchins) are burial catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. Today they provide a somewhat macabre tourist attraction as well as an extraordinary historical record.
Palermo’s Capuchin monastery outgrew its original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. In 1599 they mummified one of their number, recently dead brother Silvestro of Gubbio, and placed him into the catacombs.
The bodies were dehydrated on the racks of ceramic pipes in the catacombs and sometimes later washed with vinegar. Some of the bodies were embalmed and others enclosed in sealed glass cabinets. Monks were preserved with their everyday clothing and sometimes with ropes they had worn as a penance.Originally the catacombs were intended only for the dead friars.
However, in the following centuries it became a status symbol to be entombed into the Capuchin catacombs. In their wills, local luminaries would ask to be preserved in certain clothes, or even to have their clothes changed at regular intervals. Priests wore their clerical vestments, others were clothed according to the contemporary fashion. Relatives would visit to pray for the deceased and also to maintain the body in presentable condition.
The catacombs were maintained through the donations of the relatives of the deceased. Each new body was placed in a temporary niche and later placed into a more permanent place. As long as the contributions continued, the body remained in its proper place but when the relatives did not send money any more, the body was put aside on a shelf until they resumed payment.
The trend caught on and soon not just other monks, but priests and nuns were mummified and displayed in the Capuchin Catacombs as well… Although originally intended just for the monks, the entrepreneurial spirit of those responsible for the Catacombs of the Capuchins manifested itself before long and the entombment within the catacombs was allowed to become a status symbol over the following centuries. So, naturally, everyone wanted to be seen there (even if they were dead).
The way the process worked was that an individual or their relatives would make a contribution to the Catacombs of the Capuchins “for the preservation of the bodies”. In exchange, the designated individual would be provided with a niche in the catacombs where they would be displayed for all the world to see. As long as the contributions continued, the mummified body remained prominently displayed in its niche. However, when the families of the deceased stopped making contributions, the body would be unceremoniously put aside on a shelf unless payment was resumed. After all, the niches were prime real estate…
Now, given the costs involved in the initial preservation of the bodies and maintaining the necessary contributions, being preserved and displayed in the catacombs was something of a luxury… Thus, aside from the church figures, the majority of the inhabitants of the catacombs came from the upper social strata.
Human vanity being what it is, we want to look our best in both life and death. Thus, individuals would place stipulations in their wills detailing the clothing they were to be preserved in and some would even specify that the clothes be changed on a regular basis!
Soldiers were usually preserved in their dress uniforms, priests were generally preserved in their clerical vestments, monks would almost always be preserved in simple clothing, sometimes with ropes they had worn as a penance, and most others were clothed according to the fashions of the time. Those preserved in the fashions of their time provide the Capuchin Catacombs with the feel of of an ethnic heritage museum at times.
The catacombs are said to contain about 8,000 mummies, but my impression after visiting is that that seems a bit high. The exact figure is unknown as a detailed inventory has never been taken.
Famous people said to reside at the catacombs include the Spanish painter, Diego Velazquez, and Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (author of The Leopard). It is known for certain that Lampedusa is not to be found within the catacombs (he is buried in the cemetery outside), but Velasquez remains more of a mystery (and one that those responsible for the catacombs are not eager to resolve given that it attracts visitors). In fact, supposedly only about 1,000 of the estimated 8,000 inhabitants have been formally identified, with their dates of birth and death.
It is believed that the last mummy added to the Catacombs of the Capuchins was in the 1920s.
The square outside the Catacombs of the Capuchins – Piazza Cappuccini:
The catacombs are housed within this fairly dilapidated-looking building:
A tunnel within leads down to the crypt:
The first impressions upon entering the catacombs are pretty powerful:
Relatives would often visit the deceased so the family could hold their hands and they could “join” their family in prayer. Creepy, huh?
There were several methods for preserving the bodies. This picture displays the most common method…
Called a “strainer”, this room was used to dehydrate the bodies over a period usually lasting around eight months. Placed upon a ceramic grid, the bodies would “drain” onto a limestone floor, while a tube high on the wall would ventilate the room. After the eight month dehydration period, the bodies were usually washed in vinegar before being removed from the “strainer” and placed in a niche in the catacombs.
Another method of preservation, rarely used except during epidemics, would involve dipping the bodies of the deceased in lime or arsenic.
Other bodies were preserved by embalming… The embalming technique perfected in the Catacombs of the Capuchins was only recently rediscovered. Performed by Professor Alfredo Salafia, the embalming procedure consisted of formalin to kill bacteria, alcohol to dry the body, glycerin to prevent the body from overdrying, salicylic acid to kill fungi, and the most important ingredient, zinc salts (zinc sulfate and zinc chloride) to give the body rigidity. The formula is 1 part glycerin, 1 part formalin saturated with both zinc sulfate and chloride, and 1 part of an alcohol solution saturated with salicylic acid.
Obviously, there was some variation in the talent of those tasked with preserving the bodies of the deceased as well as the reality that some of the preservation techniques worked better than others. Thus, some of the bodies have long ago lost their flesh and are now merely skeletons, while others have disturbingly well-preserved hair, flesh and even eyes:
This is the wife in a husband and wife team that was preserved:
The catacombs were organized by dividing the occupants up into categories. So, for example, one hall will contain children, while the next one over will contain men or women.
Other categories include virgins, priests and professionals. The “professionals hall” contains the remains of figures such as writers, doctors, lawyers and soldiers.
Below is one of the halls in the catacombs… Iron grills had to be installed in this section as too many body parts here were disappearing with visitors as souvenirs:
There is even a category for infants:
A hall for women… A necrophiliac’s dream?
Some of the inhabitants of the catacombs are well known. This giant was named Bartolomeo Megna:
A few of the other residents:
Included in the catacombs along with the mummies are hundreds of coffins. Some have the side removed or constructed of glass to display the deceased inside:
Chambers leading off of the main hallways of the catacombs contain specialized scenes, such as this one:
I thought this skeleton had a quizzical expression:
It’s an interesting place, but I think I would prefer cremation or cryogenic preservation for myself.
If you wish to visit the Catacombs of the Capuchins for yourself, the address is:
The official opening hours are:
Daily 9am-12 and 3-5pm (until 7pm in summer)*
The Catacombs of the Capuchins are closed on holidays.
* Bear in mind that the hours indicated above are Italian Time. So, in reality you could show up at any time and the catacombs might be open or closed.
Religious Tourism
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