Monday 7 November 2011

The Bone-Chilling Catacombs Of The Capuchin Monks

picture with permission of Palermo For 91 Days

Warning: this post contains pictures of dead people.

Although it's not the slightest bit rational, we humans possess a primal urge to be terrified. We love it. Why else would we pay money to watch horror films? Why visit haunted houses, or tell ghost stories? And in Palermo, a city of gorgeous churches and fascinating history, why should one of the top tourist attractions be the corpse-filled dungeon of the Catacombe dei Cappuccini?

The Capuchin catacombs hold the remains of over 8,000 souls, their disembodied shells propped up against the walls or resting in open caskets. Down in the cold, dry basement of the monastery, the relentless march of decomposition takes its sweet time. It's a gruesome display. Though some bodies have been reduced to skulls and bones, the majority of corpses are still rotting, and their half-decomposed husks are the stuff of nightmares.

(via Palermo For 91 Days)

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