Piombino-Mascali, in trying to find out the formula, tracked down the living relatives of the embalmer. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark? 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. Its thought that changes in temperature inside the crypt cause her eyelids to contract to produce the blinking effect. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Surely, some will say, Alfredo Salaria has studied a lot to obtain this surprising result. 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. [3] To add further to the folklore surrounding the Sleeping Beauty, rumor had it that Rosalia would blink multiple times a day. A 2009 National Geographic photograph of Rosalia Lombardo shows the mummy is beginning to show signs of decomposition, most notably discoloration. Notes documenting Rosalias mummification were discovered in the 1970s. Why is he still there now that it's been over 100 years since his death? Full text data coming soon. Rosalia has indeed sparked much fascination in the world of science and commoners alike. Alfredo Salafia was considered the best as he had a lot of experience preserving corpses. Your email address will not be published. In 2009, an MRI scan of the little girl was performed, to see the state of preservation of the interior of the body. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. The story of love, loss, beauty and tragedy have captured thousands of people through multiple generations. (In Pics) Ten Extinct Animals which Survive only in Drawings. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Her father was so grief-stricken that he sought the aid of an embalmer and taxidermist to preserve his child. The combination of these ingredients worked to preserve the body. This, along with the light that filters in various ways through the tombs windows throughout the day, causes the girls eyes to seem open. The story of Rosalia is speculated, but unknown. Rosalia's father, Official Mario Lomba. Maria di Cara, his partner, has in fact just given birth to their first daughter, Rosalia. Researchers and scholars had made many hypotheses, but without any evidence and without having official documentation. One resident was not famous in her short life but became infamous in death. Her father Mario Lombardo was understandably so beset with heartache that he sought out a renowned local embalmer by the name of Alfredo Salafia. . Mario Lombardo Collection: FamilySearch Family Tree Birth: 1890 - Italy Death: 1980 Wife: Maria Lombardo (born Di Cara) Children: Rosalia Lombardo, Rosalia Lombardo View the Record view all Immediate Family Maria Di Cara wife Rosalia Lombardo daughter Rosalia Lombardo daughter About Mario Lombardo [2] Her mummified body, sometimes referred to as "Sleeping Beauty", was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Shes located in the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily with over 8,000 other mummies. Maria di Cara, his partner, has in fact just given birth to their first daughter, Rosalia. Watch on Mario Lombardo was overcome by grief when his only child died of pneumonia. Not only that, he also added paraffin, duly dissolved in ether. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Impossible to answer these questions. Alfredo Salaria arrived at the house of the Lombardo spouses, located in Piazza San Francesco di Paola, about 24 hours after the child's death. Amazingly, 8000 skeletons (although a more accurate number is said to be closer to 2,000) and around 1250 mummies inhabit the catacombs. [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. Rosalias gaze is something that has attracted onlookers to Palermo for a hundred years. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_8',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');However,Dario Piombino- Mascali, the curator of Capuchin Catacombs has assured us that all that people are seeing is, in fact, an optical illusion. Rosalia Lombardo in her glass coffin. Caligulas stunning 2,000-year-old sapphire ring tells of a dramatic love story, Evidence of a 14,000-year-old settlement found in western Canada, Archaeologists locate earliest known North American settlement, 2,400-year-old baskets still filled with fruit found in the submerged Egyptian city, 9,000-year-old site near Jerusalem is the Big Bang of prehistory settlement, Oldest stone tools ever found were not made by human hands, study suggests, Mysterious skeleton revealed to be that of unusual lady anchoress of York Barbican. (Sibeaster / Wikimedia Commons). A symbol of love, death, loss and a reminder of just how short life can be. Read more on Wikipedia. Her curly blonde hair and a ribbon on it make her look like she is just sleeping. 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. Mario Lombardo is an infantry officer who only on this day discovers what happiness is, true happiness. Even if the little girl's body has not found a worthy burial, the choice to embalm her so as to be able to give her eternal rest and to give her name to her little sister are the clear sign of how much Rosalia was loved. Rosalia Lombardo born on December 13, 1918, was a Sicilian kid that died of pneumonia on December 6, 1920 from the Spanish flu. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. 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. Rosalia Lombardo: The mystery of the Blinking Mummy, Present condition of Rosalia Lombardos mummy: The preserved corpse was relocated. The preserved body of Rosalia Lombardo, as photographed by National Geographic in 2009, has started to show indications of decomposition most notably discoloration. On the historical island of Sicily sits the Sicilian capital of Palermo, resting on the toe of Italys boot-based geographical shape. 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. Bipin Dimri is a writer from India with an educational background in Management Studies. The embalming of the body of Rosalia Lombardo by Alfredo Salaria. The monks agreed and she was one of the last mummies placed in the catacombs. Accept Read More, https://www.youtube.com/embed/jrbbOCuDJCE, Post Mortem Photography Immortalizing the Dead, Padre Pio Stigmata, Miracle Worker or Fraud, https://www.amusingplanet.com/2017/01/rosalia-lombardo-mummy-that-blinks.html, https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2014/06/mystery-of-blinking-child-mummy-solved.html. King Abu Bakr IIs mysterious voyage: Was America discovered in the early 14th century? 2022 History of Yesterday | All Rights Reserved. He has written for 8 years in a variety of fields including history, health and politics. Mario Lombardo, Rosalia's father, was determined to find out the exact cause of her death in order to assign blame. The anthropologist then realized that her eyes were actually never closed, and it had only been a trick of the light that made them seem so. He made a small puncture and injected a mixture of zinc salts, formalin, glycerin, and salicylic acid. 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. Rosalia's father, official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved upon her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to undertake the task of preserving her. What is certain, however, is that Rosalia's parents traveled a lot in the years following her death, for work reasons. Their families would continue to fund the monks who cared for the deceased for example with new clothes. In 1920, a little girl known as Rosalia Lombardo died at the age of two due to an aggravated case of pneumonia. People have witnessed that her eyes open slowly, and that the eyes seem to glisten due to the low lights in the catacombs. The blinking mummys mystery became famous across the world. Her father Mario Lombardo, who was an local official, engaged noted embalmer, Alfredo Salafia to mummify her body. While Rosalia was mostly kept intact during embalming, her blood was drained and replaced by the magical formula used by Alfredo. This process does not offer any kind of respect for the facial features, but despite this there were many people who sought such treatment. Maybe he finished middle school, nothing more. Rosalia Lombardo sadly passed away just before her second birthday back in 1920 due to a case of pneumonia, which experts suggest was likely caused by the Spanish flu pandemic. Rosalia Lombardo is known by many names; The Worlds Most Beautiful Mummy, Sleeping Beauty, The Girl In The Glass Coffin and of course: The Best Preserved Mummy In The World. [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? COPYRIGHT UNSOLVED MYSTERIES & PARANORMAL ACTIVITIES, 2017-2018. Husband of Maria Di Cara The mystery was soon solved when he observed that a filtration of light from the windows was catching her eye-lens to cause the illusion of life. He then approached the monks who ran the Capuchin Catacombs and begged for his daughter to be placed there. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. But in doing so, she became something larger than life. It should be remembered that in 1925, five years after Rosalia's death, the Lombard couple had another baby girl, who was called with the same name as their little sister, in her eternal memory. 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. The little girl died and her father was extremely upset. It is possible that contact with the air before its replacement may have resulted in damage. She looks like a baby peacefully taking a nap, and although a blanket is placed over the coffin, the face is visible. The body of little Rosalia has closed eyelids as if she were sleeping. The mummy is one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. Rosalias preserved body came out looking like the most alive mummy in the world. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Also, check out Children of Llullaillaco: Where Young Children Were Sacrificed to the Gods. 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. Directories Newly added. Many of these ingredients are commonly used today, but the shining star of this concoction is the zinc salts which essentially petrified her body. According to the laws of the time, in fact, the embalmed bodies should have remained in the Catacombs only temporarily, only to later find a definitive burial, a burial that Rosalia never had. The salts preserved her appearance perfectly, even preventing her nasal cavities and her cheeks from caving in. [6] The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. Rosalia's dad, Official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved after her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to preserve her. Legend has it that she was a sickly child who suffered illnesses and pain until she contracted a pneumonia at the age of 2 and died from her illness. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Your email address will not be published. Despite providing her with the greatest medicine available at the time, she was still extremely young and lacked the necessary immune system to combat bronchopneumonia. Missing Three Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers. In fact, it seems that Alfredo Salaria did not undertake any university career. STSTW Media strives to deliver accurate information through careful research. 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. The catacombs are open nearly everyday and the entry fee is only 3 euros. (Sibeaster / Wikimedia Commons). Coming to this conclusion was not difficult for them. [3] Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty", hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Who is right? The researchers then created a new aluminum case for Rosalia Lombardo, saturated with nitrogen, and moved the girl's body to a less humid place. Indeed, it is quite difficult to gaze at the little body lying in the glass coffin and still not believe that the girl will awaken at any moment. After which, they were bathed in vinegar and stuffed with hay. ", "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. Most visitors to her mummified remains say she is a miracle because she blinks even though she has been dead for a long time. Rosalia's father, official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved upon her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to undertake the task of preserving her. The story of Rosalia Lombardo got to Profesor Salafia, therefore he never charged the father for his services. 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. 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. Her premature death at age two left her father grief-stricken. The Italian biological anthropologist was able to debunk the myths about Rosalia Lombardo. Palermo is a city with amazing architecture which much of its designs remaining from the Norman and Arab invasions. It is December 13, 1918. Piombino-Mascali hopes that visitors will stop making any new stories about the little child mummy. Thats hard to say. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A multitude of skeletons line the walls in these catacombs to give a more than eerie vibe, and having experienced it for myself a strange sensation runs through as one enters the cold surroundings. 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. Who is wrong? Piombino-Mascali made this amazing discovery in 2009 after some of the workers in the museum moved her coffin, which caused her body to shift a little bit. Managed by: David Nicholas Yustin: In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. 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. 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