Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo




The Capuchins' Catacombs are located in Palermo, Italy, where there are thousands of corpses lined on the walls like paintings.
The catacombs date back to the 1599 when the local priests mummified a holy monk for all to see. They wanted to pray to him after death.
In time the locals wanted their relatives remembered in this same way. Soon there were hundreds of corpses. Some of the deceased wrote wills, expressing the clothes in which to bury them in. Some asked to have their clothes changed over a period of time. Children are sometimes posed. Two are seated together in a small rocking chair.
All are dressed in clothes from the period in which they lived. One such example is of Colonel Enea DiGiuliano. He is still wearing his 1800's French Bourbon uniform.
The halls are divided into catagories: Men, Women, Virgins, Children, Priests, Monks, and Professionals. The Professionals Hall includes at least one American, writers, lawyers, priests, and others.
Digged at the Lesser Known Museum Week at the Kircher Society