You can also watch my video about the catacombs here. Visitors call her "Sleeping Beauty" due to her peaceful expression. Legend has it that she was a sickly child who suffered illnesses and pain until she contracted a pneumonia at the age of 2 and died from her illness. Yes! What Happened to Star Dust? It was designed to block any bacteria or fungi. Muchos la consideran como la momia ms hermosa del mundo. Keywords: Piombino-Mascali, in trying to find out the formula, tracked down the living relatives of the embalmer. Her father, Mario Lombardo was deeply saddened by her sudden death that he requested Alfredo Salafia, a well-known Sicilian embalmer to preserve her. ), MRIscans of Rosalia'sformeerily resemble footage of alien autopsies, but, astonishingly, most of herorgans are still intact. Her "uncorrupt" corpse, preserved in wax, appears to be flaking off bit by bit, but she's still known to wink at the occasional dumbfounded onlooker. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Alfredo Salaria used glycerin, formalin, zinc salts, alcohol and salicylic acid on the body of little Rosalia. Rosalia's face has very sweet features, with the plump cheeks of a two-year-old girl, delicately framed by fair hair. While cryonics was briefly considered, leaders settled on embalming. Her corpse is kept deep in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo in Sicily. All rights reserved. The anthropologist then realized that her eyes were actually never closed, and it had only been a trick of the light that made them seem so. In the depths of an obscure catacomb in Sicily, a young girl lies in a glass-topped casket. Victoria is an initially radiant figure who gradually deepens into a decaying ghoul, the longer you look at her. They moved to other Italian cities and then also abroad, thus without having the opportunity to choose a cemetery where to bury their child. While overshadowed by her husband in life, she gained her own fame some 2,000 years later when her tomb was unearthed in 1972. The mummy of Rosalia Lombardo in the Capuchin Catacombs beneath Palermo, Sicily. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Sending you all the echo of my pain because i hope to open a gate to the possibility that my sister can return that creature that has been admired from all over the world, and not a victim of poor body experiments that have irreparably compromised her body. How A Skilled Embalmer Kept Rosalia Lombardo's Body From Decomposing. Her premature death left her father so heartbroken that he approached the noted embalmer, Alfredo Salafia, and asked him to preserve Rosalia's body. The .gov means its official. Her skin is still smooth and porcelain, and her golden hair is neatly tied back with a large silk bow. Perhaps it is precisely for this reason, therefore, if in the end Rosalia's body has always remained there, where it was first placed. There are those who believe that it is really her, little Rosalia, who blinks forever, almost a way to communicate with the world of the living. Rosalia Lombardo was an Italian child born in 1918 in Palermo, Sicily. Despite passing away in 1924, Vladimir Lenin's body is on full display to the Russian public. Upon his death, Soviet authorities wanted to preserve his body for future generations. She rests in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo in Sicily, and her beauty and peaceful expression haveled to her being popularly dubbed Sleeping Beauty.". This week, Italian newspapers again reported that Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl who died of pneumonia in 1920, moves her eyelids several times during the day, slightly opening them to . (There's also reports that her eyes have occasionally opened, though that proposition seemsdubious. Acting Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro Moros announced the government's decision to embalm Hugo Chvez's body and have it permanently placed in a glass casket at a museum in Caracas . So it was removed from its previous place and brought to the coolest part of the tomb. The reason? Piombino-Mascali tracked down the embalmers living relatives and uncovered a trove of his papers. But Rosalias are by far the most special because of her preservation. Epub 2009 Dec 11. Rosalia Lombardo's father, official Mario Lombardo, was severely upset by the death of his loved daughter and contacted a famous Sicilian embalmer, Alfredo Salafia, to preserve the body of Rosalia. In short, Rosalia is a 98 year old mummy. When he uncovered this trove of the embalmers papers, he stumbled upon the document where the embalmer recorded all the chemicals that were injected in the body of Rosalia. Zita was canonized in 1696, and is currently on display at the Basilica di San Frediano in her hometown of Lucca, Italy. I know, and when I tried, through my lawyers, to obtain justice on the whole story, have been ignored, threatened, and invited to shut up! Catholicism's patron saint of maids, Zita, spent her life caring for those in need. Lady Dais body is so undamaged that ancient blood remains in her veins. He was quietly buried in the barren tundra of the Canadian Arctic. What happened to little Rosalia's body after she died. Rosalia, an Italian child born on December 13 in the year 1918, died due to pneumonia as a result of the Spanish flu less than two years later, on December 6, 1920. This famous revolutionary remains defiant even in death. Her father, according to the catacombs website, instructed her embalmer to make her live forever. And since the catacombs opened up to the public, she has become known as the worlds most beautiful mummy and even gained the nickname Sleeping Beauty of Palermo.. However, there is some intrigue surrounding the location of his remains and reports that the monk's body may have been taken. An official website of the United States government. Rosalia Lombardo: The Mummy That Blinks. Rosalia's father, Mario Lombardo, was grieving her death, asked Alfredo Salafia, an embalmer, to preserve her remains. Rosalia Lombardo was born on December 13, 1918 in Palermo, in Sicily region in Southern Italy. The first was to be buried in the exact position in which he passed. all right reserved COOKIES & PRIVACY POLICY. Pero los que ms llaman la atencin, son el fretro de Giovanni Paterniti, un vicecnsul estadounidense, y el de la pequea Rosala Lombardo. Moreover, her striking crystal blue eyes are also visible underneath the blonde eyelashes. This is because of a condition called ophthalmoplegia, in which the eyes tend to move involuntarily. In 1955, and again in 1973, Itigilov was exhumed and found to be uncorrupt. Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl, died in 1920 from an intensified case of bronchopneumonia, a kind of pneumonia that involves inflammation in the alveoli. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! In the depths of the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo in Sicily lies the dead body of a young girl in a wooden and glass casket. This famous revolutionary remains defiant even in death. Saat meninggal ia baru berumur dua tahun. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. One official-looking document from 2012, seemed to indicate that Rosalia filed an official complaint against National Geographic with the country. Living sometime between 3359 and 3105 BCE, tzi most likely died from a blow to the head. The researchers wanted to see what state his body was in. Rosalia Lombardo was born in Sicily, Italy. Yet there are some dearly departed souls whose bodies refuse to leave the physical world. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. the only clues I could find on the internet. 2023 by Albaincoming Eurofirst Tours. The two are more and more in love, they lead a comfortable and peaceful life and their little girl grows up beautiful, healthy and strong. The body was so amazingly preserved that Rosalias body is intact over 100 years later. Her death left her father dejected, who failed to face reality and strove to take measures for preservation. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. [6] The mummy remains one of the best preserved bodies in the catacombs. She died of pneumonia in 1920, and her body is remarkably preserved. He then handed it over to the researchers who discovered the formula right there to guarantee a body the eternal sleep it deserves. Rosalia im Mai 2012.JPG. : 02075400842, 2023 by Albaincoming Eurofirst Tours. However, her path to sainthood was a long one: she wasn't canonized until 1933, and said process apparently required multiple episodes of disinternment. This is a place that you have certainly heard of several times and that we can assure you, deserves to be visited at least once in a lifetime. Besides, this information, the only other thing we have heard rumors on regarding Rosalias sister, is a supposed letter written by her in July of 2011, after National Geographic took pictures of Rosalia (the mummy). According to the laws of the time, in fact, the embalmed bodies should have remained in the Catacombs only temporarily, only to later find a definitive burial, a burial that Rosalia never had. I incorporated a little bit about Rosalia in my novel Angels of the Mourning Light, the book I refer to as a different kind of ghost story. Her uncorrupted body was installed in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. After 7 months from the birth of the child they also decide to get married, aware that they need to take this step in order to guarantee serenity and tranquility for their family. Her father was devastated, so naturally he called upon an expert embalmer to help keep her around. He requested to be buried in whateverposehe was in when he moved on, so he was interred sitting upright, in the lotus position. Catholicisms patron saint of maids, Zita, spent her life caring for those in need. Her cause of death: freezing while drugged on cocoa leaves. According to legend, she was oncea piousyoung girl wholonged to convert to Christianity and experience her first Communion; when her non-believing father caught wind of it, he became enraged and beat her. Top Image: Rosalia Lombardo. CT images of Rosalia's body within her coffin were of reduced quality because of distinct metal artifacts caused by the coffin itself. In 2009 National Geographic got the rights to come in and take pictures and X-Rays and study Rosalia before she was transferred into a new nitrogen chamber to keep her best preserved. ", "This Mummified Two-Year-Old Appears to Blink Every Day", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rosalia_Lombardo&oldid=1135738502, Sleeping Beauty of the Capuchin Catacombs, Being in an especially well preserved state in her tomb, in the, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 15:26. When they exhumed him in 1955, the monks were shocked to discover Itigilovs meditating frame appeared unchanged. X-rays of the body show that all the organs are remarkably intact. It seems that it was the video surveillance cameras that noticed this light and slow movement. Fabrizio Villa/Getty ImagesPaleopathologist and mummiologist Dario Piombino-Mascali with Rosalia Lombardos body in Palermo. Rosalia Lombardo introduced me to a whole world of morbid and strange traditions that result in the preservation of bodies for various purposes. Sin embargo . At the tender age of 2 she died due to a bacteria pneumonia. Thanks to a magical combination of formalin, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin, Rosaliia is still here today. Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty", hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin . Photograph of Rosalia Lombardo (case 8), one of the three 20th century mummies in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo. Y es que Rosala Lombardo, una nia italiana que muri antes de cumplir los 2 aos en 1920, adems de tener su cuerpo totalmente intacto, tiene una peculiaridad nica: an sin vida, parpadea. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A body sinks into itself and pools out, decomposing until it becomes part of the Earth. Compared to when the body was placed in the Catacombs of the Capuchins, it seems that the skin of the child's face has become darker and that the hair has instead lightened, from brown to blond. She was one of the last to be entombed . Surely, some will say, Alfredo Salaria has studied a lot to obtain this surprising result. For years the mix of chemicals that Alfredo Salaria used on Rosalia remained unknown, as well as the technique used. Please, listen to me and to my daughter Rosanna in sign of respect for my family and for little Rosalia! Rosala Lombardo dej de respirar cuando tena dos aos, se haba enfermado de neumona y sus padres no soportaron su ausencia, buscaron un . Bogs (wetlands that accumulate peat) have the uncanny ability to preserve dead bodies. Rosalias gaze is something that has attracted onlookers to Palermo for a hundred years. 6. Copyright 2013 Elsevier GmbH. Want more corpses? Who is right? For centuries, the Catholic church (and some Buddhist temples, as well) have housedthe remains of icons who are supposedly immune to decomposition and decay as we know it. The body of Rosalia is famous among the 8,000 bodies present in these catacombs under the Capuchin convent. After washing with vinegar, they were filled with straw and then dressed. Rosalia Lombardo was an Italian child born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy in 1918 and died on December 6 . Archeologists who found her said she was one of the best-preserved corpses they'd ever seen. Int J Legal Med. Su estado de conservacin es tan bueno que se considera que es la momia mejor conservada hasta la fecha. Salafia, a Sicilian taxidermist and embalmer who died in 1933 never . It still remains there after 100 years. . After the embalming, Rosalia was then transported to the Catacombs of the Capuchins, which was made possible by the mayor of the city, Giuseppe Lanza di Scalea, who in fact gave his permission. If the letter was truthfully written by the sister, it indicates that she blames National Geographic for ruining her sisters body by exposing it to air. Thanks to a magical combination of formalin, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin, Rosalia is still here today. Rosalia Lombardo, one of the world's most enchanting (and poignant) corpses, is not officially recognized as a saint by the Church, but many devout believers consider her to be one.Even almost 100 years after her passing, her impeccably preserved mortal form evokes pathos, sympathy, and a sense of awe at her beauty. rosalia lombardo decomposingburning off yarra ranges. The site is secure. In life, she was persecuted for her Catholic faith - a tragedy that's reflected by the red slash in her throat. The Most Brutal Ways People Were Made Into Saints, The Worst Ways Saints Met Their Ultimate Ends, 11 Major Religious Figures Whose Corpses Allegedly Never Decayed. Wikimedia CommonsRosalia Lombardos coffin is now encased in a protective glass case. Rosalia's father, official Mario Lombardo, was sorely grieved upon her death, so he approached Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to preserve her. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The name of that girl is Rosalia Lombardo, who tragically died due to pneumonia in 1920, at the age of two. What would it be like to never leave? Alfredo Salafia's handwritten memoir and the embalming of Rosalia Lombardo: a commentary. Ultimately, several of Bernadette's ribs were removedand shipped offto Rome as relics. Rosalias dead body has caught the attention of everyone, as people have noticed her eyelids move many times, seeming like she is blinking. Her father, Mario Lombardo, was so grief stricken that he asked an embalmer to preserve Rosalias remains. Nama gadis itu adalah Rosalia Lombardo. Glycerin prevented her body from desiccating or drying out. Rosala Lombardo naci en el seno de una rica y noble familia de Sicilia, Italia, el 13 de diciembre de 1918. Available at: https://www.amusingplanet.com/2017/01/rosalia-lombardo-mummy-that-blinks.html, Mystery of The Blinking Child Mummy Solved. Today, Rosalia Lombardo is housed in a new glass case filled with nitrogen designed to protect the remains of this young girl from oxygen, light, and even tourists, who can visit the catacombs for just 3. The more than 8,000 burials in the catacombs date back to 1500 and include nobility, members of the clergy, and the citys bourgeois. Pero si hay una momia que destaca entre todas ellas es la de Rosala Lombardo, una nia de casicien aos! 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Monks declared his corpse a sacred relic, and placed it on view at the Itigel Khambyn ordon palace temple. She is one of 8,000 mummies in the catacombs underneath the Capuchin convent in Palermo, Sicily. The CT examination offered new insights into the current preservation status of the body, and the superior contrast of CT allowed detailed assessment of different tissues. Her body is kept in a glass covered coffin placed on a wooden pedestal. Rosalia Lombardo died at two years old of pneumonia in 1920. Born 13 December 1813, little Rosalia died from pneumonia on 6 December 1920. That same year, Capuchin catacombs curator Dario Piombino-Mascali discovered a handwritten manuscript written by Salafia, wherein he lists the ingredients used to mummify Rosalia. Nerlich AG, Panzer S, Wimmer J, Hamann C, Peschel OK. Front Med (Lausanne). Rosala Lombardo muri sin cumplir dos aos a causa de una neumona el 6 de diciembre de 1920 en Sicilia, Italia. [7], "Multidetector CT investigation of the mummy of Rosalia Lombardo (19181920)", "In the Catacombs of the Capuchin Monastery in Palermo", "Why Does This Mummy Appear To Open And Close Her Eyes? Losing a child is always a tragedy, and if it is a child of just a few years of life, the tragedy is undoubtedly even greater and more difficult to bear. In 2009, an MRI scan of the little girl was performed, to see the state of preservation of the interior of the body. The Tollund Man, of the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, is but one example of the strangely placid faces that sometimes surface in these wet places. They are said to sit outdoors, under a tree, and one can easily envision observers, taking a casual stroll along an idyllic garden path, doing a startled double-take as they come upon him. Mario and Maria are not married at the time of Rosalia's birth, but they are very much in love. They are not completely closed, and indeed they have never been, he said. Rosalia Lombardo (13 December 1918 - 6 December 1920) was a Palermitan child who died of pneumonia, resulting from the Spanish flu, one week before her second birthday. So thats pretty all we know about Rosalia Lombardos sister. Little Rosalia died in 1920. In 1933 when the Sicilian embalmer passed away, he wrote down the secret formula of the preservation. Embalming - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core This is Rosalia Lombardo, who died from lung problems at only two years old. This mystery of blinking eyes, and the well-preserved body is what makes Rosalias mummy so fascinating. 14 records for Rosalia Lombardo. A tuft of hair is also held in place by a yellow bow. Want to know who has irreparably ruined my little sister? Her golden blonde hair is very neatly tied with a beautiful silk bow. Scenes from the past: radiologic evidence of anthropogenic mummification in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Sicily. Zinc gave her rigidity, Williams told National Geographic. 5.9k. Alfredo also designed an ad hoc coffin for little Rosalia, with a glass lid welded to a wooden crate, so that the body could be preserved for a long time, since there was no contact with light, since in this way no one could touch the body. Hoy, su momia es conocida como la " ms hermosa del mundo ". Use tab to navigate through the menu items. A close inspection of the above photo, however, reveals a figure that's considerably less than impeccably preserved: the greyed jaws appear to be rotting, and the hands look a bit darkaround the gills, as well. READ: 41 Examples of Hauntingly Beautiful Famous Last Words. The salts preserved her appearance perfectly, even preventing her nasal cavities and her cheeks from caving in. Poco tiempo despus contrajo neumona y falleci el 6 de diciembre de 1920. Little Rosalia Lombardo didn't have a long life - she died of pneumonia at age 2 in 1920. Alba incoming - Eurofirst Tours Instead, Mother Nature preserved his body with the cold mountain air of Italys South Tyrol. And of the thousands of visitors who flock to see the blonde-haired girl, many report witnessing her eyes slowly open. Zita was exhumed in 1580, and it was discovered that she hadnt gone anywhereher body appeared . Scientists believe the Tollund Man lived and died during the 4th century BCE--yet the bog had preserved his features so perfectly, locals mistook him for a fresh murder victim upon his discovery in 1950. In fact, it seems that Alfredo Salaria did not undertake any university career. She died on December 6, 1920. Instead, Mother Nature preserved his body with the cold mountain air of Italy's South Tyrol. Wake up to the day's most important news. We can only imagine the agony of the parents of little Rosalia. Rosalia Lombardo was an Italian child born in 1918 in Palermo, Sicily. News of the discoverynot to mention freaky photos of the open-eyed grin frozen on his faceset the world on fire, and inspired everything from a song by Iron Maidento a short story by Margaret Atwood. The mummy of Rosalia Lombardo appears to open her eyes because of a trick of the light reflecting off her half-closed eyelids, which have remained open since she was embalmed in 1920. This facet of her preservation has led to her becoming known as the blinking mummy because some people swear that Rosaria Lombardos eyes still open and close throughout the day. Even almost 100 years after her passing, her impeccably preserved mortal form evokes pathos, sympathy, and a sense of awe at her beauty. Maybe he finished middle school, nothing more. Many others thought that the eyes might blink due to the temperature changes inside the catacomb, which made her eyelids contract and thus produced the blink-like effect. Rosalia Lombardo reportedly died of bronchopneumonia in 1920 and was preserved by the embalmer and taxidermist Alfredo Salafia with a . Sometimes called "Sleeping Beauty", hers was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin . 2010 Jul-Aug;30(4):1123-32. doi: 10.1148/rg.304095174. After this look at the blinking mummy Rosalia Lombardo, read up on Xin Zhui, the 2,000-year-old Chinese mummy affectionately called "Lady Dai." Then, learn about the man who may be history's first confirmed murder victim, . When Rosalia Lombardos embalmer Alfredo Salafia died in 1933, he took the secret formula to the grave. According to reports, a combination of "formalin, alcohol, salicylic acid, and glycerin" has kept her basically intact. It is considered one of the best-preserved mummies in the world. [8], The mummy has achieved further notoriety for a phenomenon in which her eyes appear to open and close several times a day, revealing her intact blue irises. Macchi V, Picardi EEE, Porzionato A, Morra A, Tabarin L, Gusella F, Grignon B, De Caro R. Surg Radiol Anat. Her father, official Mario Lombardo, destroyed by pain, decided to contact Dr. Alfredo Salafia, a noted embalmer, to undertake the task of preserving her beloved daughter. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help They would sit with her and visit for sometimes hours. Rosalia Lombardos eyes have fueled Sicilian lore for the past 100 years. How do we create a person's profile? Home to the webs creepiest and most mysterious stories, for fans of true crime, horror, and the paranormal. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. Rosalia Lombardo's body is still exhibited in the Capuchin Catacombs inside the original glass-topped coffin in which she was placed. While I tried to research the genealogy of Rosalia Lombardo to see if shes still alive (she would be 93) and if she had kids or grand kids that I could learn about, but I couldnt find much. But what curiosity are we talking about? Its an optical illusion produced by the light that filters through the side windows, which during the day is subject to change, he said in a statement according to ScienceAlert. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted The rest of her now reposesin the Chapel of Saint Gidard at the Sisters of Charity in Nevers, France. Sign up for The Lineups newsletter and get the creepiest cases delivered straight to your inbox. Her body was one of the last corpses to be admitted to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo . , thanks to the possibility that he was granted access to the anatomical school of Professor Randaccio. It's so faded, it's almost unrecognizable. Nevertheless, a detailed radiological analysis was possible for most of the body. The story of Rosalia is speculated, but unknown. Panzer S, Mc Coy MR, Hitzl W, Piombino-Mascali D, Jankauskas R, Zink AR, Augat P. PLoS One. La Doncella was discovered more than 500 years later, frozen in sleep in a slumped position. The embalming took place right there, in that house where the little girl lived her first two years of life, happy and surrounded by the love of her family. 2022 Oct 26;9:979670. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.979670. However, the work that Alfredo Salaria managed to carry out on the body of little Rosalia is incredible, his most successful work ever, the body considered the most beautiful in the world by scholars and experts in the sector. From Wiki: Recently, the mummification techniques used by Salafia were discovered in a handwritten memoir of Salafia. Rosalia Lombardo. Rosalia doesn't open and shut her eyes in reality. 8600 Rockville Pike Rosalia was born on December 13, 1918 and died on December 6, 1920 of pneumonia. She was preserved by a skilled embalmer using methods only recently understood, and entombed in Italy's Capuchin Catacombs.. and transmitted securely. The name of that girl is Rosalia Lombardo, who tragically died due to pneumonia in 1920, at the age of two. Other records do seem to back this up, but theyre hard to verify. MeSH There are those who say that a slight opening and closing of the eyelids actually occurs due to the humidity present and how it changes over the course of the day. But it is still a mystery how the mummy was prepared and preserved for eternity. And the body of Alfredo Salaria? Alfredo Salafia, a taxidermist, and a skillful embalmer, then mummified the dead body of Rosalia Lombardo with impressive skill, preserving her so well that even her internal organs were kept intact. Want more true crime? Curiosities about the body of Rosalia, who seems to be blinking. Her father was devastated, so naturally he called upon an expert embalmer to help keep her around. What would it be like to never leave? Most of the Rosalia Lombardos I did find, were born in the 1800s which was too early. rosalia lombardo decomposing. But he never disappeared. After this look at the blinking mummy Rosalia Lombardo, read up on Xin Zhui, the 2,000-year-old Chinese mummy affectionately called Lady Dai. Then, learn about the man who may be historys first confirmed murder victim, the 5,300-year-old mummy known as tzi the Iceman. La historia de Rosala Lombardo es bizarra y un misterio sin respuestas precisas, se trata de la momia ms pequea y adems, "sigue parpadeando" desde el 'Ms All'. Fabrizio Villa/Getty ImagesThe mummy of Rosalia Lombardo in the Capuchin Catacombs beneath Palermo, Sicily. Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in CT Examinations of Human Mummies. But Salafia did something different. His remainshavebeen on display since 1980, and he was officially canonized in2004. Scientists were able to perform an autopsy on the corpse, and concluded that she died of heart disease. The first 3D image of Rosalia revealed that all the organs of her body are perfectly intact even after so many decades. Was Queen Charlotte Britain's First Black Royal? With her wavy hair, perfect features, and porcelain skin, she still appears (more or less) as she did in life. Indeed, it is difficult to gaze upon the tiny body in the glass coffin and not believe that she will awaken at any moment. Her body was preserved and displayed at the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo in northern Sicily. Nobody can answer these questions, a mystery that after all it is perhaps good that it remains so. Thanks for your attention. Her name is Rosalia Lombardo, and she died of pneumonia caused by the Spanish Flu just one week shy of her second birthday in 1920. Rosalia is surrounded by many other bodies, over 8000, who sleep their eternal sleep in the Catacombs of the Capuchins. It is thought that she died from a bronchial infection.