Iconic Corpse by Abigail Lowe

Page 20

Rosalia Every day in the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily, warm sunlight caresses the cold cheek of young Rosalia Lombardo,attempting to wake her from her eternal slumber. Known as the catacombs’ sleeping beauty,Rosalia rests among the thousands of desiccated corpses that have been laid or hung or propped up in what has been called the waiting room for the dead. Appearing as if she could wake up at any moment and flutter her eyelashes or shake the dust from the yellow ribbon in her hair, Rosalia is unlike any other corpse in her midst.

BLinking corpse

Every day, the near perfectly preserved corpse of Rosalia opens her eyes and then she shuts them. In 2009, Italian biological anthropologist, Dario PiombinoMascali, from the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, debunked the myth of Rosalia’s eyes while studying her corpse. It turns out it’s an optical illusion, a trick of the light. At certain times of day, light from the catacomb windows makes it appear as if Rosalia’s eyes have opened. Since her preservation, Rosalia’s eyes have never been fully shut.So from certain angles, the play of light and shadow makes her eyelids look like they’ve moved and makes her eyes more visible.

She may not really bl but she’s a sight for s

Lombard


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