Rosalia Lombardo died of pneumonia on December 6, 1920. Her body is in a small chapel in the Catacombs of Palermo. Because she is encased in a glass-top coffin, many people call her “La Bella Addormentata”, or Sleeping Beauty.
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Who was Rosalia Lombardo? There are many legends around its history
Over the years, many legends have been created around Rosalia and her family, which have become a permanent part of Sicily. According to some, she was born a very weak and sickly child who had suffered a lot in her short life, and when she died, her father was plunged into great sadness. His identity is unknown, as no documents have survived to confirm the girl’s origin. Some believe it was the wealthy Sicilian nobleman and general of the army, Mario Lombardo. However, there is no evidence of this.
After his daughter’s death, he had her body embalmed. Today it is the best-preserved mummy in the world
When only two-year-old Rosalia died of pneumonia, her distraught father asked the eminent embalmer Alfredo Salafia to embalm her body. Thanks to a unique technique, the girl’s body was preserved in very good condition. Years later, it was even suspected that it could have been replaced with a wax figure. For this reason, in 2000, research and an X-ray were carried out, which confirmed that it is real, and the internal organs are also in very good condition. When the first signs of decomposition appeared in 2009, Rosalia’s body was moved to a drier room, and the original one was placed in a larger glass one, hermetically sealed and filled with nitrogen, where tourists flock to it. Once there was an intriguing situation when several of them stated that the mummy began to blink showing blue eyes. Most likely, this was due to an ordinary optical illusion.
The embalmer was an eminent master. His technique was discovered only many years later
Alfredo Salafia’s unusual embalming technique was discovered only in 2009, when his notes were found. Turns out he had replaced Rosalia’s blood with formalin, which killed the bacteria. He also used alcohol to dry his body, glycerin to prevent it from drying out too much, and salicylic acid to keep it from being attacked by fungus. But that’s not all, because the embalmer also used zinc salts to give the body the right stiffness. Thanks to the use of such a mixture, Rosalia’s body is still in very good condition.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
