Rosalia Lombardo: Little Sleeping Beauty

While this may be a morbid topic (when do i ever avoid those?) I couldn't help but want to post this due to the fact that it's rather beautiful in a strange way. Forgive me me for posting such old topics, but i'm here to inform. Not to update. :)


Rosalia Lombardo was an Italian child born in the year 1918 in Palermo, Sicily. When she was only two years old she died of pneumonia on December 6, 1920. Her father was so grieved by her death that he contacted a noted embalmer, Alfredo Salafia and asked him to preserve her. Her body was one of the last few to enter the Capuchin Catacombs.

Photo of Rosalia's corpse in 1995

This wonderful state of preservation was achieved by a formula concocted by the embalmer, Alfredo. Until recently the formula was thought to be lost, but a handwritten memoir was discovered that contained the recipe for the formula. The preservation method used formalin, alcohol, glycerin, salicylic acid, and zinc salts. These were mixed together in a liquid and then used to replace the girls blood. X-rays showed that her internal organs were very well preserved and were all intact.
Until recently Rosalia was kept in a glass covered coffin at the end of the catacomb tour. Recent photos show that her body is starting to show signs of decay, the most prominent being discoloration. Her body has been moved back into the catacombs alongside the bodies of two other children.

2009 National Geographic photo showing the signs of decomposition.

Links!

• National Geographic article: [link]
• Discover Magazine article: [link]