Bikes from the crypt: in Palermo you can visit the Museum of the Dead! City Museum of the Dead: Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo.

18.04.2019

Biography Haruki Murakov Haruki Murakami emphasis

Photo 1 out of 20:© BigPicture.ru.

Dear readers, warn you right away: this article is not for nervous! If you are hardly falling asleep after viewing the horror stories on TV, shake from each unexpected sound, then better close the page of your browser and read about the cats, birds-cinemas.

But if you, as an experienced traveler, appreciate what we have inherited from the previous generation, then you are comfortable in front of the computer. And welcome to Zombiland on Sicily Island, Palermo.

It is there that are unusual catacombs under the monastery. Capuchin catacombs (ITAL. Catacombe dei Cappuccini) - the burial place of 8 thousand people. These are mainly the elite of the city: clergy, aristocracy, representatives of various professions (artists, writers). And all the remains of these people rest in a mummified, disgraced form.

Museum of the Dead - the history of creation

It all started with the burial of the monks at the end of the 16th century. After increasing the number of Capuchins, it was necessary in a decent cemetery for monks. For this purpose, one of the underground moves of the monastery was chosen. In 1599, the monk Silvestro's brother from Gubbio was buried in 1599, and then the remains of several previously died monks were moved here.

Soon the monks increased the number of corridors - died a long corridor, in which the body of the dead monks was placed until 1871.

The most devoted and generous people of Palermo also began to bury on such a kind of cemetery. Up to 1739, the permission for the burial in the catacombs was issued by the Archbishops of Palermo or the leaders of the Kapuchin Order, then the monastery reins.

From 18 to 19 centuries, Capuchin Capuchins became the most prestigious burial site of the spiritual persons, the noble and bourgeois families Palermo. In total, there are 3000 bodies of the dead in the corridors of the dungeon. In 1911, the Vice-Consul of the United States Giovanni Patennyti and a two-year-old Rosali Lombardo were buried in the catacombs (according to exceptional stature).

Museum of the Dead - Methods of Break

Scientists came to the conclusion that the excellent safety of the bodies accompanied the feature of the soil and atmosphere plus a special method of mummifying.

The preparation of the bodies of the dead to the mummification lasted 8 months. Throughout this period, they succumbed to drying in special chambers. After this period, the mummified remains were washed with vinegar and placed directly in the corridors. Part of the tel was placed in the coffins, but in most cases the bodies were postned, exhibited or put in an open form in niches or on the shelves along the walls.

But this method was not permanent, it changed from time to time. This applied to the times of different epidemics: the remains of the dead immersed in dilute lime or solutions containing arsenic, and after this body procedure also exhibited visible.

Museum of the Dead - What to see

The main attraction of Catacombs - Chapel of St. Rosalia. In the center of the chapel resting the body of a two-year-old girl - Rosalia Lombardo, which died in 1920 from the inflammation of the lungs. Parents of the girls turned to the famous balsam driver to Dr. Alfredo Salafia with a request to maintain the body of his daughter from the tension. As a result of successful embarrassment, the body has been preserved at all.

So, not only the soft fabrics of the girl face, but also eyeballs, eyelashes, hair, remain unharmed. Italian doctors even used X-ray to check - a real girl or a doll. The results were shocking: this is the body of a real girl and all organs are preserved in perfect condition.

Also, scientists revealed the secretion of embroidering. The composition used by Dr. Salafia was formalin, alcohol, glycerin, zinc and some other ingredients. The mixture was supplied under pressure through the artery and diverged along the blood vessels by body.

But not only the appearance of the girl attracts tourists. A number of mysterious stories are associated with a small mummy. Mystic began almost immediately with the advent of the body of the girl in the catacombs: the keys to the lattices constantly disappeared, which close the entrance to the chapel. Or vice versa - after closing to several locks, the lattice turned out to be laid open. Thirty five years ago, the local caretaker went crazy. According to him, he saw the girl opened his eyes.

Museum of the Dead - Description of Catacombs

As the number of buried Catacombs' buried bodies increased - the existing corridors increased and newly broke out. As a result, the catacombs in the plan acquired a view of a rectangle with an additional corridor parallel to the smallest of the parties. The sides of the rectangle are the so-called corridors of monks, men, women and professionals. At the intersection of the main corridors, small cubiculas are created - children, virgins and chapel of St. Rosalia.

Corridor monks : Monks corridor represents historically the most ancient part of the catacomb. The burial was made here from 1599 to 1871 years. In the right part of the corridor, 40 bodies were placed, in the left - another 50.

Corridor of men : For 2 centuries, the bodies of benefactors and the monastery of Men-Miryan monastery were placed in this corridor. Here you can see the mummy in different robes - from the gross funeral Savana like the monastic robe to luxurious costumes, shirts, jabs and ties.

Corridian women : Until 1943, this part of the catacomb was closed for people alive. The bodies of women rest in niches, under glass. But as a result of the bombardment of 1943, part of the bodies was damaged. Most of the women's bodies placed here are in separate horizontal niches, and only a few most preserved bodies are set in vertical niches.

Corridor of virgins : This corridor is assigned to the burial of girls and unmarried women. About a dozen bodies lie at the wooden cross, over which the inscription "These are not defiled with their wives, for they are virgins; These are those who follow the lamb, wherever he goes. " The heads of the girls are crowned with metal crowns as a sign of virgin purity of the departed.

Corridor children : The remains of several dozen children are stored in closed or open coffins, as well as in niches along the walls. In the central niche, a rocking chair is placed on which a boy holding his younger sister in his arms.

Corridor professionals : The bodies of professors, lawyers, artists, sculptors, professional military are posted in this corridor. According to the local legend, the body of the Spanish painter of Diego Velasquez is resting in the corridor of professionals.

New corridor : It rests in the body of whole families. As a result of the bombardment on March 11, 1943 and a fire of 1966, most of the coffins were destroyed.

A unique cemetery is one of the most famous attractions of Palermo, attracting many tourists. Although the photo and video and video in the catacombs is prohibited, several European and American television companies managed to get permission to shoot.

15.02.2016 By Viktor Komlev

Greetings, dear reader! Seeing what interest our materials about Capuchin catacombs in Palermo, we decided to introduce you to the Museum of the Dead even better.

Facts and legends

These are the only catacombs in the world, which are essentially a cemetery, where the deceased exhibited for everyone to review
The first burials began to do in the XVI century, or rather in 1599. It was a monk named Silvestro.
His remains can still be seen in the left niche of the corridor of monks
At first, only the monks of the Kapuchin Order of the Kapuchins were resting in the museum of the dead, who made the greatest contribution to the orders
Private monks were buried in a common grave in a common grave near Kapuchin monastery
The catacombs have a unique microclimate, thanks to which the bodies do not decompose and are preserved for a long time.
The last monk Capuchin, buried in the Museum of the Dead Palermo, became Riccardo In 1871.
The famous girl became buried in the catacomb Rosalia Lombardo In 1920.
Its body has been preserved just perfect: the soccer, leather, eyelashes: everything is in retaining.
Rosalia Lombardo died from lung inflammation At the age of 2 years.
Body Rosalia has embalmed by a famous master Alfredo Salafia.
For a long time, the secret of his way remained a mystery until he found his diaries.
The composition of the mixture for embalming from Alfredo Salafia: formalin, alcohol, glycerol, zinc salt and salicylic acid.
This mixture under high pressure was introduced into the artery, from where it got along the blood vessels in all organs
In the XIII century, the bodies of not only monks, but also from other citizens began to appear in the Museum of the Dead.
Gradually, the catacombs of Capuchins turned simply into a prestigious cemetery.
In the Museum of the Dead Palermo there are rooms where closed access For visitors
For example, this is a corridor of the Kapuchin monks.
In 1837, a ban was imposed on the placement of bodies in the open form in the Museum of the Dead
However, the inhabitants all the time went through this ban, making "windows" in coffins
In the Museum of the Deads rest ancestors Today's residents Palermo
Other cities in Sicily began to imitate Palermo and made similar burials
The most famous from the clones of the Museum of the Dead Palermo are the catacombs of the city Savoka.
Among the visitors of the catacombit there were many famous people.
Poet Pippolito Pindmont Shocked by visiting the Museum of the Dead wrote the Poem "Tombs"
In the poet poet tells about the celebration of life over death
In 1890, the Museum of the Dead visited Gi de messan.
His feelings were terrible, he reflected them in the work " Stray life»
In the catacombs acts ban In the photo and video
However, several television companies managed to get resolution on the shooting
Among them was Russian NTV.

Stock Foto Museum of the Dead Palermo

Capuchin catacombs (ITAL. Catacombe dei Cappuccini) - The funeral catacombs located in Palermo on Sicily, in which the remains are open to more than eight thousand people, for the most part of the local elite and outstanding citizens - clergy, aristocracy and representatives of various professions. This is one of the most famous mummies exhibitions - skeleton, mummified, sacked bodies of the departed lie, stand, hang, form compositions.

By the end of the XVI century, the number of Capuchin Monastery's statements increased significantly, and there was a need for a decent and spacious cemetery for brethren. For this purpose, a crypt was adapted under the monastery temple. In 1599, the brother Silvestro from Gubbio was buried here, and then the remains of several previously died monks were postponed. In the future, the room, the crypt has become close, and Cappuchins gradually dug a long corridor, in which the body of dead monks was placed until 1871.

The benefactors and monastery donors also expressed the desire to be buried in the catacombs. For their burial, additional corridors and cubiculas were dug. Up to 1739, the permission for the burial in the catacombs was issued by the Archbishops of Palermo or the leaders of the Kapuchin Order, then the monastery reins. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, Capuchin catacombs became a prestigious cemetery for spiritual people, noble and bourgeois families Palermo.

Capuchin catacombs were officially closed for burial only in 1882. For three centuries, about 8,000 residents of Palermo - clergy, monks, laity were buried on this kind of cemetery. After 1880, for exceptional petitions in the catacombs, several more departed, including the Vice-Consul of the United States Giovanni Patennyti (1911) and a two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, whose net bodies are the main attractions of Catacombs.

Already in the XVII century, it turned out that the peculiarity of soils and the atmosphere of catacomm kapuchins prevent the decomposition of the tel. The main method of cooking to accommodation in the catacombs was drying them in special chambers (collatio) for eight months. After this period, the mummified remains were washed with vinegar, climbed into the best clothes (sometimes, according to the wills, the bodies disguised several times a year) and placed directly in the corridors and cubiculas of Catacombs. Part of the bodies were placed in the coffins, but in most cases the body was postned, exhibited or put in the open form in niches or on the shelves along the walls.

During the epidemics, the conservation method was modified: the remains of the dead immersed in dilute lime or solutions containing arsenic, and after this body procedure were also exhibited. In 1837, the placement of bodies in the open form was prohibited, but, at the request of the testors or their relatives, the ban went around: in coffins were removed one of the walls or left the "windows", allowing to see the remains.

The most famous part of the catacombs is the chapel of Saint Rosalia (until 1866 was devoted to the Virgin Mary). In the center of the chapel in the glass coffin, the body of a two-year-old Rosaly Lombardo is resting (died in 1920 from the inflammation of the lungs). Rosalia's father, heavily worried her death, turned to the famous balsam driver to Dr. Alfredo Salafia with a request to keep the body of his daughter from the tension. As a result of successful embarrassment, the secret of which Salafia did not reveal, the body was preserved at all. Not only soft fabrics face girls, but also eyeballs, eyelashes, hair remain unharmed.

Currently, the secret of the composition was established by Italian scientists. According to information from the foundation of the Salafia diary, the composition includes formalin, alcohol, glycerin, zinc and some other ingredients. The mixture was supplied under pressure through the artery and diverged along the blood vessels by body. In the United States, research on embalming with the use of the composition of Salafia gave excellent results. Rosalia Lombardo's burial has become the last in the history of Capuchins in Palermo. A number of mysterious stories are associated with the girl's mummy. Thirty five years ago, the local caretaker went crazy. According to him, he saw the girl opened his eyes ...

In the cubicle, adjacent to the chapel, there are several perfectly preserved bodies. Among them, the body of a young man with fire-red hair, several priests, as well as the Vice-Consul of the United States Giovanni Patennyti (died in 1911), the only buried citizen of the United States.

For the convenience of orientation, the halls are divided into categories: men, women, virgin, children, priests, monks and "professions". The monk corridor is historically the most ancient part of the catacomb. The burial was made here from 1599 to 1871 years. In the right of the current entry of the part of the corridor (closed for visiting) bodies are posted 40 most revered monks and individuals, one way or another related to religion.

The male corridor forms one of the two long sides of the rectangle. Here, during the XVIII-XIX century, the bodies of benefactors and the monastery of Men's Monastery were placed. In accordance with the wills of the buried, buried here or the desires of their relatives of the body of the departed here in a variety of clothing - from the coarse burial Savan, like monastic robes to luxurious costumes, shirts, jabs and ties.

The cubicula of children is located at the intersection of the corridors of men and priests. In a small room in closed or open coffins, as well as in niches along the walls, the remains of several dozen children are placed. In the central niche, a children's rocking chair was placed on which a boy holding his youngest sister in his arms.

The remains that turned into skeletons constitute an amazing contrast with children's suites and dresses, lovingly selected parents, which was noted by Maupassan in the "Stray Life": "... We come to the gallery, full of small glass gloves: these are children. As soon as the strengthened bones could not stand it. And it is difficult to see that, in fact, lies in front of you, so they are worn out, stallious and terrible, these pitiful kids. But the tears are thrown on your eyes, because the mother dressed them in the small dresses they wore in the last days of their lives. And the mother still come here to look at them, on their children! "

The corridor of women forms one of the smaller sides of the rectangle. Up until 1943, the entrance to this corridor was closed with two wooden lattices, and niches with bodies were protected by glass. As a result of the bombardment of the Allies in 1943, one of the grids and glass obstacles were destroyed, and the remains are significantly damaged. Most bodies placed here are in separate horizontal niches, and only a few most preserved bodies are delivered in vertical niches.

Bodies of women are clothed in the best clothes in fashion XVIII-XIX centuries - silk dresses with lace and frills, caps and caps. The shocking mismatch between the remains scattered from the time and the screaming trendy outfits, in which they are closed, are notified by Maupassant: "Here are women, even more ugly comical than men, because they are coquettyed. Empty sockets look at you from under lace, decorated with ribbons of caps, framing their dazzling white, these black faces, terrible, rotten, isolated with a drainage. Hands stick out of the sleeves of new dresses, like the roots of conceded trees, and stockings, tight bones of legs seem empty. Sometimes on the deceased, only shoes, huge on his miserable, dried feet. "

A small cubicle, located at the intersection of the corridors of women and professionals, is assigned to the burial of girls and unmarried women. About a dozen bodies lie and stand at a wooden cross, over which the inscription "These are not defiled with the wives, for they are virgins; These are those who follow the Lamb, wherever he goes "(OP.14: 4). The heads of the girls are crowned with metal crowns as a sign of virgin purity of the departed. The new corridor is the newest part of the catacombs, used after the ban to exhibit the heaven body (1837). As a result, there are no wall niches in the corridor. The entire space of the corridor was gradually (1837-1882) filled with coffins. As a result of the bombardment on March 11, 1943 and a fire of 1966, most of the coffins were destroyed. Currently, the surviving coffins are placed along the walls in several rows, so that in the central part of the corridor you can see the floor, decorated with Maitolike. In addition, in the new corridor, several "family groups" - the bodies of the father and mother of the family with their several teenage children are exhibited together.

The corridor of professionals, which is parallel to the corridor of men, is one of two long sides of the rectangle. The bodies of professors, lawyers, artists, sculptors, professional military are posted in this corridor. Among the buried here are remarkable: Filippo Pennino - sculptor, Lorenzo Marabitti - sculptor, who worked, including in the Cathedrals of Palermo and Montreal, Salvator Mancher - Surgeon, Francesco Enae (died in 1848) - Colonel lying in a superbly survived military uniform The army of the kingdom of both Sicily. According to the local legend taken or rejected by various researchers, the body of the Spanish painter of Diego Velasquez is resting in the corridor of professionals.

Capuchin catacombs were considered by the residents of Palermo as a cemetery, though unusual. Since in the XVIII-XIX centuries, the burial here was a question of prestige, the ancestors of many current residents of Palermo rest in the catacombs. Catacombs are regularly visited by descendants of those whose bodies are here. Moreover, after the official closure of the catacombs for burials (1882), the walls of the monastery were arranged "the usual" cemetery, so that the tradition of burial "at Capuchins" remains so far.

Website materials used: BigPicture.ru

Capuchin catacombs (Italian name Catacombe dei Cappuccini) - Museum of death, the place is not for the faint of heart, where you can face the face to face.

In this mysterious place, a special atmosphere is twisted, the temperature is lower than behind the walls, and the twilight reigning in the crypt and silence only add sharpness of sensations. Despite all the seeming arsenic, the museum is particularly popular among guests of the city and is one of the outstanding attractions of not only Sicily, but throughout Italy.

Currently, Capuchin's catacombs are a museum - a burial place (crypt), where in a single indoor room, located under the Convento Dei Cappuccini monastery, the remains of more than eight thousand people are open.

Capuchin's catacombs in Palermo arose in the burial of the monastery's monks. The monks-Capuchins have once settled in this place, in 1534, under the Altar of St. Anne, in the Church of Santa - Maria - Della - Pucha created a cemetery, where the dead monks were buried in the fraternal grave. However, by 1597, the Kapuchin Community increased and already one grave for burial was not enough. After that, it was decided to create a larger cemetery behind the main altar, using the ancient caves available then on this locality. After completing the creation of a crypt, the departed monks brothers were moved from the old crypt to the new one. However, during the exhumation, it was noted that the bodies of some monks remained in well-preserved condition and were naturally mummified. Kapuchins counted such a case of the act of God, and, instead of helping the remains, they decided to leave the bodies of their brothers as relics and put them in niches along the walls of the corridor of the new cemetery.

Such a "miracle" brought considerable fame of the monastery, in Kripte they began to bury not only representatives of the clergy, but also influential wine, to know, elite and outstanding citizens of that time, and in 1783 it was decided to provide the burial to everyone who was able to afford the costs on such burial. Being buried in underground crypt has become a very prestigious tradition among citizens.

So, at present, Capuchin's catacombs are quite large sizes underground cemetery consisting of corridors, where there are numerous mummified bodies of dead people along the walls. There are corridors of men and women; children and innocent girls (cubiculas of children and virgins); As well as corridors where monks, outstanding people of art and science of those times.

In the catacombs you can see the body of the departed of all ages, ranging from old people and ending with young children. Some bodies lie in open or closed coffins.

All bodies are located so close to visitors that you can reach them, it is worth only to stretch your hand, see each preserved part of the body and the skeleton of the deceased, as well as the outfits of past centuries.

In the chapel of Saint Rosalia in one of the coffins, you can see the body of a two-year-old girl - Rosalia Lombardo. The body of Young Rosalia has been preserved in this form that he looked at him might think that this is not the deceased man, but a doll. Eyelashes are visible on the body, there are all hair, eyeballs and skin.

A lot of legends walk around the body of Rosalia, some of which says that the girl is in the lethargic sleep, others - that after the death of the baby Rosalia, a luckless father could not take the fact of death and parting with his beloved daughter. Then he turned to a well-known Balmoger Alfred Salafia with a request to maintain the body with the net. After the alfred procedures conducted, the body of the girl ceased to be subjected to any changes, and the secret of the preservation of the body of the Great Master did so in her grave.

Where is the Kapuchin Museum

The Kapuchin Museum is located in Palermo in Sicily, at Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo PA. Near the Parrocchia Santa Maria Della Pace church.

Photo of church

Opening hours, ticket cost

Capuchin catacombs are open for visiting daily (including holidays).

Attention! Catacombs are closed on Sunday after dinner from late October until the end of March.

Visit hours: 9-13 and 15-18 hours.

The cost of the entrance ticket is 3 euros.

Rules of visiting

In order to ensure the condition of the mummy's safety and in accordance with the requirements of bioethics - it is forbidden to take photos, shoot video and touch the exhibits.

Capuchin's catacombs are among the religious monuments, therefore, during the visit, it is recommended to comply with the norms of behavior and the dress code, as well as avoid using the mobile phone and the consumption of food or drinks.

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Attention! Materials presented in this post may seem frightening!
Particularly impressionable suggests not to look next.

1. By the end of the XVI century, the number of Capuchin Monastery has increased significantly, and there was a need for a decent and spacious cemetery for brethren. For this purpose, a crypt was adapted under the monastery temple. In 1599, the brother Silvestro from Gubbio was buried here, and then the remains of several previously died monks were postponed. In the future, the room, the crypt has become close, and Cappuchins gradually dug a long corridor, in which the body of dead monks was placed until 1871.

2. The benefactors and the monastery donors also expressed the desire to be buried in the catacombs. For their burial, additional corridors and cubiculas were dug. Up to 1739, the permission for the burial in the catacombs was issued by the Archbishops of Palermo or the leaders of the Kapuchin Order, then the monastery reins. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, Capuchin catacombs became a prestigious cemetery for spiritual people, noble and bourgeois families Palermo.

3. Capulin catacombs were officially closed for burials only in 1882. For three centuries, about 8,000 residents of Palermo - clergy, monks, laity were buried on this kind of cemetery. After 1880, for exceptional petitions in the catacombs, several more departed, including the Vice-Consul of the United States Giovanni Patennyti (1911) and a two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, whose net bodies are the main attractions of Catacombs.

4. Already in the XVII century, it turned out that the peculiarity of the soil and the atmosphere of catacomm kapuchins prevent the decomposition of the tel. The main method of cooking to accommodation in the catacombs was drying them in special chambers (collatio) for eight months. After this period, the mummified remains were washed with vinegar, climbed into the best clothes (sometimes, according to the wills, the bodies disguised several times a year) and placed directly in the corridors and cubiculas of Catacombs. Part of the bodies were placed in the coffins, but in most cases the body was postned, exhibited or put in the open form in niches or on the shelves along the walls.

5. During epidemics, the method of conservation bodies was modified: the remains of the dead immersed in dilute lime or solutions containing arsenic, and after this body procedure was also exhibited. In 1837, the placement of bodies in the open form was prohibited, but, at the request of the testors or their relatives, the ban went around: in coffins were removed one of the walls or left the "windows", allowing to see the remains.

6. The most famous part of the catacomb is the chapel of St. Rosalia (until 1866 was devoted to the Virgin Mother of God). In the center of the chapel in the glass coffin, the body of a two-year-old Rosaly Lombardo is resting (died in 1920 from the inflammation of the lungs). Rosalia's father, heavily worried her death, turned to the famous balsam driver to Dr. Alfredo Salafia with a request to keep the body of his daughter from the tension. As a result of successful embarrassment, the secret of which Salafia did not reveal, the body was preserved at all. Not only soft fabrics face girls, but also eyeballs, eyelashes, hair remain unharmed.

7. Currently, the secret of the composition was established by Italian scientists. According to information from the foundation of the Salafia diary, the composition includes formalin, alcohol, glycerin, zinc and some other ingredients. The mixture was supplied under pressure through the artery and diverged along the blood vessels by body. In the United States, research on embalming with the use of the composition of Salafia gave excellent results. Rosalia Lombardo's burial has become the last in the history of Capuchins in Palermo. A number of mysterious stories are associated with the girl's mummy. Thirty five years ago, the local caretaker went crazy. According to him, he saw the girl opened his eyes ...

8. In the cubicle, adjacent to the chapel, there are several perfectly preserved bodies. Among them, the body of a young man with fire-red hair, several priests, as well as the Vice-Consul of the United States Giovanni Patennyti (died in 1911), the only buried citizen of the United States.

10. For the convenience of orientation, the halls are divided into categories: men, women, virgins, children, priests, monks and "professions". The monk corridor is historically the most ancient part of the catacomb. The burial was made here from 1599 to 1871 years. In the right of the current entry of the part of the corridor (closed for visiting) bodies are posted 40 most revered monks and individuals, one way or another related to religion.

11.

13.

15. The male corridor forms one of the two long sides of the rectangle. Here, during the XVIII-XIX century, the bodies of benefactors and the monastery of Men's Monastery were placed. In accordance with the wills of the buried, buried here or the desires of their relatives of the body of the departed here in a variety of clothing - from the coarse burial Savan, like monastic robes to luxurious costumes, shirts, jabs and ties.

17.

18.

20. The cubicula of children is located at the intersection of the corridors of men and priests. In a small room in closed or open coffins, as well as in niches along the walls, the remains of several dozen children are placed. In the central niche, a children's rocking chair was placed on which a boy holding his youngest sister in his arms.

21. The remains that turned into skeletons constitute an amazing contrast with children's suites and dresses, lovingly selected parents, which was noted by Maupassant in the "Stray Life": "... We come to the gallery, full of small glass gloves: these are children. Punching bones could not stand it. And It is difficult to see that, in fact, it is in front of you, so they are worn out, flattened and terrible, these pathetic kids. But the tears are thrown on your eyes, because the mother dressed them in the small dresses they wore their lives in the last days. And Mothers are still coming here to look at them, on their children! "

23. The women's corridor forms one of the smaller sides of the rectangle. Up until 1943, the entrance to this corridor was closed with two wooden lattices, and niches with bodies were protected by glass. As a result of the bombardment of the Allies in 1943, one of the grids and glass obstacles were destroyed, and the remains are significantly damaged. Most bodies placed here are in separate horizontal niches, and only a few most preserved bodies are delivered in vertical niches.

24. Women's bodies are clothed in the best clothes in fashion XVIII-XIX centuries - silk dresses with lace and frills, hats and caps. The shocking inconsistency between the remains scattered from the time and the screaming trendy outfits, in which they are closed, notified by Maupassant: "Here are women, even more ugly comical than men, because their coquettiously knocked out. Empty ornaments look at you from under lace, decorated with ribbons Caperts, framing their dazzling whiteness, these black faces, terrible, rotten, isolated with money. Hands stick out of the sleeves of new dresses, like the roots of conceded trees, and stockings fitting the bones of the legs seem empty. Sometimes on the deceased one shoes, huge on his deceased. miserable, dried legs. "

25. A small cubicle located at the intersection of the corridors of women and professionals is assigned to the burial of girls and unmarried women. About a dozen bodies lie and stand at a wooden cross, over which the inscription "These are not defiled with the wives, for they are virgins; These are those who follow the Lamb, wherever he goes "(OP.14: 4). The heads of the girls are crowned with metal crowns as a sign of virgin purity of the departed. The new corridor is the newest part of the catacombs, used after the ban to exhibit the heaven body (1837). As a result, there are no wall niches in the corridor. The entire space of the corridor was gradually (1837-1882) filled with coffins. As a result of the bombardment on March 11, 1943 and a fire of 1966, most of the coffins were destroyed. Currently, the surviving coffins are placed along the walls in several rows, so that in the central part of the corridor you can see the floor, decorated with Maitolike. In addition, in the new corridor, several "family groups" - the bodies of the father and mother of the family with their several teenage children are exhibited together.

26.

27. Sophisticated couples:

29. The corridor of professionals, which is parallel to the corridor of men, is one of the two long sides of the rectangle. The bodies of professors, lawyers, artists, sculptors, professional military are posted in this corridor. Among the buried here are remarkable: Filippo Pennino - sculptor, Lorenzo Marabitti - sculptor, who worked, including in the Cathedrals of Palermo and Montreal, Salvator Mancher - Surgeon, Francesco Enae (died in 1848) - Colonel lying in a superbly survived military uniform The army of the kingdom of both Sicily. According to the local legend taken or rejected by various researchers, the body of the Spanish painter of Diego Velasquez is resting in the corridor of professionals.

30.

31.

32.

33. Brothers-artists

34. Capuchin catacombs were considered by Palermo residents as a cemetery, although unusual. Since in the XVIII-XIX centuries, the burial here was a question of prestige, the ancestors of many current residents of Palermo rest in the catacombs. Catacombs are regularly visited by descendants of those whose bodies are here. Moreover, after the official closure of the catacombs for burials (1882), the walls of the monastery were arranged "the usual" cemetery, so that the tradition of burial "at Capuchins" remains so far.

35. Portraits of death: