The Clothed Skeletons Of 16th Century Sicilian Catacombs
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds and the Paranormal
20,317 views
Deep beneath the sunny streets of Palermo, Sicily, the Capuchin Catacombs are home to over a thousand people, most of them still standing in their Sunday best.
Warning: this episode contains discussions of child death
Why did the residents of the catacombs want to be buried standing up? And how have their remains survived centuries?
Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this fascinating history.
0:00 Introduction
0:53 Welcome to After Dark: Introducing the Capuchin Catacombs
1:53 First-hand impressions of the underground chambers
3:48 The 16th-century origins of the Palermo Catacombs
7:13 Ghostly details: The shrinking of bodies and hanging clothes
9:37 How the discovery of a miracle shaped the site
12:20 Opening the catacombs to the public and the price list
13:51 The grim reality of mummification over terracotta pipes
17:15 Inside the mortuary: A conservator's perspective on decomposition
20:41 Mapping the catacombs: Division by class and gender
26:47 Brother Silvestro da Gubbio: The first interment
28:51 Francesco Tarallo: The Eternal Concierge
33:05 Antonino Prestigiacomo: Arsenic, mercury and glass eyes
38:51 Giovanni Paterniti: The American vice consul
39:34 Rosalia Lombardo: The heartbreaking story of the world's most beautiful mummy
43:54 Final reflections: Finding comfort and presence in studying death
Edited by Anna Brant and Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
#HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #Catacombs
20 Comments
Love from Portugal 💕
Miss you, Maddie!!
The one grave we ALWAYS made sure to stop at was the very first burial in the Cemetery, buried the day after it opened. Jesse Lavinia Smith, aged 3 weeks, 8-8-1873 29-8-1873. She was given a new headstone in the 1980s as the first burial, and she's always well looked after by the caretakers. But, like little Rosalia, Jesse Lavinia's parents don't lie beside her, and that's just heartbreaking.
I'm going to have to go and visit her - and my family - again. It's sadly been a good 15 years since i stopped by. There's a lot to catch her up on.
And Cat... I am now planning a trip to Scotland (from Somerset), with some friends, to come and visit Surgeons Hall Museum ❤
The Clothed Skeletons Of 16th Century Sicilian Catacombs
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds and the Paranormal
20,317 views
Deep beneath the sunny streets of Palermo, Sicily, the Capuchin Catacombs are home to over a thousand people, most of them still standing in their Sunday best.
Warning: this episode contains discussions of child death
Why did the residents of the catacombs want to be buried standing up? And how have their remains survived centuries?
Joining Anthony today as a special guest co-host is Cat Irving, Human Remains Conservator at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, to take us back through this fascinating history.
0:00 Introduction
0:53 Welcome to After Dark: Introducing the Capuchin Catacombs
1:53 First-hand impressions of the underground chambers
3:48 The 16th-century origins of the Palermo Catacombs
7:13 Ghostly details: The shrinking of bodies and hanging clothes
9:37 How the discovery of a miracle shaped the site
12:20 Opening the catacombs to the public and the price list
13:51 The grim reality of mummification over terracotta pipes
17:15 Inside the mortuary: A conservator's perspective on decomposition
20:41 Mapping the catacombs: Division by class and gender
26:47 Brother Silvestro da Gubbio: The first interment
28:51 Francesco Tarallo: The Eternal Concierge
33:05 Antonino Prestigiacomo: Arsenic, mercury and glass eyes
38:51 Giovanni Paterniti: The American vice consul
39:34 Rosalia Lombardo: The heartbreaking story of the world's most beautiful mummy
43:54 Final reflections: Finding comfort and presence in studying death
Edited by Anna Brant and Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer is Freddy Chick.
After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
All music from Epidemic Sounds.
#HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #Catacombs