Full disclosure, I'm a weirdo who is in to death stuff professionally. Ossuaries and catacombs, and…read morethe history behind them, is endlessly fascinating to me and far from grotesque. Part of Sicily's rich history that they inherited from the east is the preservation of bodies. You also see this in Napoli, where people even adopted the abandoned dead. But that is another place and review!
The Catacomb of the Capuchin monks in Palermo is incredible, there's nothing quite like it. One like me could spend hours perusing and observing, the clothes, the teeth, the differing states of delayed decay. Admiral and cardinal hats still intact. The "Professionals" section was particularly interesting for period clothing. Beautiful fancy outfits that scream money. The Capuchin monks did not discriminate - any person of means could pay to have themselves preserved. Still, we are all equal in death.
Though one might not choose this for themselves, or want to see their loved one in this condition, it is worth seeing. And reflecting. No pictures allowed, but I could not help but snap one of conjoined twins, born around 1850 I think. That they survived birth at all at that time is a miracle, and can be witnessed today. We had no guide, so I wondered, is the mother here also?
It was sad seeing batches of children together, sometimes together in the same horizontal box, sometimes standing together. Were they all from the same family? Probably, which in itself gives one pause, and reminds us to be grateful for our health and this life.
100% worth a visit. Face your fears, face death, remember what life is all about.
