Catacombe dei Cappuccini, Eternal Slumber in Historical Garb

Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo PA, Italy
The mummy's made well
4.4

Introduction

One of the world's nine creepiest buildings, exhibiting around 8,000 mummies and skeletons from the 17th to 19th centuries. The mummies are nailed to walls, sitting on benches, or displayed in open coffins, all dressed in their finest church outfits. The dimly lit tomb, emitting a musty odor, is divided into several corridors, where mummies are separated according to their professions and social status before death, such as priests, doctors, women, and children. The earliest mummy in the tomb is a monk from the begging order in 1599. The dry environment in the tomb preserves the bodies well. In the past, priests would first remove all the moisture from the body by placing it on a shelf and a year later, dress the dry corpse in formal wear and display it in the corresponding area after washing it with vinegar. Many of the mummies still look alive, like sleeping beauties. Children may not be suitable for visiting.
Address
Piazza Cappuccini, 1, 90129 Palermo PA, Italy
Opening hours
9:00-13:00, 15:00-18:00
Not open on Sunday afternoons from late October to late March of the following year.