People were curious to know what was causing the dead body to blink. Why is he still there now that it's been over 100 years since his death? To address these issues the mummy was moved to a drier spot in the catacombs, and her original coffin was placed in a hermetically sealed glass enclosure with nitrogen gas to prevent decay. Rosalia's dad, Official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved after her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to preserve her. Nothing to do with Rosalia's body! In fact, the only proof Rosalia the mummy has a sister is that there is a Rosalia Lombardo who was in discussion with the Sicilian government about the poor treatment of Rosalia by National Geographic. Also, check out Children of Llullaillaco: Where Young Children Were Sacrificed to the Gods. What is certain, however, is that Alfredo Salaria was a great lover of chemistry as well as anatomy and over the years he had the opportunity to do many experiments, first on animal bodies, then starting from the early 1900s also on human corpses. Of him who gave eternal sleep to many bodies, of him who transformed Rosalia's body into a masterpiece, all that remains is a pile of bones. 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. It seems that it was the video surveillance cameras that noticed this light and slow movement. Rosalia Lombardos angel face pushed him to improve the preservation technique in order to preserve its natural beauty. Rosalia Lombardos remains is housed in a tiny chapel at the end of the catacomb tour, enclosed in a glass-covered coffin on a wooden pedestal. A century has passed, but her corpse still looks like the little girl is just dozing under the glass case of the casket. (Sibeaster / Wikimedia Commons). Agatha Christies Disappearance: Amnesia, Suicide, or Despair? This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Her father was so grief-stricken that he sought the aid of an embalmer and taxidermist to preserve his child. But why the bottle under Rosalia's head is completely empty remains an inexplicable mystery. Rosalia's face has very sweet features, with the plump cheeks of a two-year-old girl, delicately framed by fair hair. The Normans were a group from France unified by a famous Viking called Rollo who took over much of Europe. Read more on Wikipedia. ", "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. The story of Rosalia is speculated, but unknown. What happened to little Rosalia's body after she died. All of which would have had a unique story to tell. After 7 months from the birth of the child they also decide to get married, aware that they need to take this step in order to guarantee serenity and tranquility for their family. The impact of a new culture of Nordic tradition on Sicily in the 11th-12th century led to a new architectural style: Palermos Arab-Norman architecture introduced innovative elements from the north of Europe, such astowers at the sides of faades, within Byzantine layouts, such as the greek-cross plan inscribed in a square, and structural or decorative details of Islamic origin, such as pointed arches. It seems that it was a common practice to insert a bottle in the coffin containing the reagent capable of preventing the formation of mold and ensuring that the body was preserved longer. Rosalia Lombardo born on December 13, 1918, was a Sicilian kid that died of pneumonia on December 6, 1920 from the Spanish flu. The Lombardo family was Italian and although the Spanish flu pandemic was ending, it seemed that Rosalia's pneumonia may have been caused by this deadly disease. Thank you for your cooperation.You can sign-up to the Membership any time to remove the adds and enjoy the content with no interruptions, Rosalia Lombardos perfectly preserved body, by Andrei Tapalaga | Sep 6, 2022 | Culture. The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site. Most of the people that go to visit her mummified body believe that she is a miracle since she keeps blinking even though she has been dead for a long time. ", "Why Does This Child Mummy Appear to Open And Close Her Eyes? The body of little Rosalia has closed eyelids as if she were sleeping. 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. [8], The mummy has achieved further notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. [3] The empty body is then filled with natron salts, which desiccate it. King Abu Bakr IIs mysterious voyage: Was America discovered in the early 14th century? This, combined with the light which is filtrated in different ways during the day through the windows of the catacombs makes the girls eyes look like they are open.A team of researchers performing X-ray on Rosalias body (Source:National Geographic)This X-ray clearly shows Rosalias arms and feet (Source:National Geographic)The X-ray of Rosalia showed her brain and liver intact. 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. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Directories Newly added. A symbol of love, death, loss and a reminder of just how short life can be. Mario Lombardo, Rosalia's father, was determined to find out the exact cause of her death in order to assign blame. [6] The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. So ajar, they always seem on the verge of opening up, as if there is a hope that that little girl can return to life. 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Rosalia Lombardos one hundred year old body may be the most beautifully embalmed body in the world. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Her body was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. Rosalia meant the world to her family, especially her father who sought to preserve her eternally. Impossible to answer these questions. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Connect to 3,088 Lombardo profiles on Geni, Antonino Lombardo, Lombardo (ne Lombardo (Ne Corrao)), Maria Italia Lombardo, Antonino Lombardo, Lombardo, Lombardo, Lombardo, Antonino Lombardo, Rosalia Lombardo (ne Corrao), pe Dit Armando Lombardo, Concetta Pancano (ne Lombardo), Maria Italia Aiello (ne Lombardo), Antonino Lombardo, Alfredo Dit Adolfo Lombardo, Palermo, Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. 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. Thanks to Salafia's embalming . So, Mario in his grief sought out the famed embalmer Alfredo Salafia to preserve Rosalia forever. Her father, Mario Lombardo, was so grief stricken that he asked an embalmer to preserve Rosalias remains. All the other bodies present were in fact emptied of their internal organs and then left to rest for about a year. So what is legend passed down for the romanticism of love and loss, and what is the truth? But even so, there are many who prefer to believe that her spirit really does return to her body! The Lombardo family was from Italy and even if the Spanish flu pandemic was coming to an end, it seems that the girls pneumonia was caused by this deadly virus. Log In Once logged in, you can add biography in the database. Is it better to believe in science or in the irrational? Rosalia is surrounded by many other bodies, over 8000, who sleep their eternal sleep in the Catacombs of the Capuchins. Luckily for the scientific community they consented and Dario found a handwritten memoir reveling the exact formula injected into Rosalia. It was still a mystery until the curator of Capuchin catacombs, Dario Piombino-Mascali, proved a new theory. People Projects . [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. She lays near THOUSANDS of preserved humans in the 4 corridors beneath the Capuchin Church - Palermo, Sicily for all to see. The blinking mummys mystery became famous across the world. Maybe he finished middle school, nothing more. Her premature death at age two left her father grief-stricken. Mario Lombardo, her father, wanted to uncover the specific cause of her death so he could "blame" someone. Daughter of Mario Lombardo and Maria Di Cara Rosalia died barely one week before her second birthday. The story of Rosalia Lombardo got to Profesor Salafia, therefore he never charged the father for his services. Mario Lombardo refused to bury her daughter, claiming that losing his son had left him distraught. Who is right? The techniques used by Alfredo Salafia have marveled many. Some said this was her spirit returning to her body. Many people believed that Lombardo had opened her eyes a fraction of an inch in a composite of many time-lapse photographs. Mario Lombardo Unfortunately, though Rosalia is just 98 years old (a fairly young mummy) the truth about her life before death and her family is speculated, but unconfirmed. Further studies however, including time-lapse photos by National Geographic, show that Rosalia does in fact blink several times an hour! (The oldest is a friar from 1599 called Silvestro da Gubbio). Rosalia's body was one of the last to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily.