The Morthouse

Mel Finkelstein, Death in Auto Accident, 1963. Source: Photographic Morgue of the New York Journal-American, Harry Ransom Center.

Brooklynites watch as a priest gives last rites to auto accident victim, Efriam Maldonado, a passenger in the crashed automobile.

Vintage Wilbert Grave Vault Salesman Sample by Ballyhooligan on Flickr.

Granville Perkins, “Horrible death—a man eaten by rattlesnakes, near West Chazy, Clinton Co., N.Y., 1859. Source: New York Public Library on Flickr.

Inscription above the entrance to the Capela dos Ossos (Bone Chapel) in Évora, Portugal.  Translation: “We bones, lying here bare, are awaiting yours.”

Skull & Crossbones by Ballyhooligan on Flickr.

Check out this page. Loads of images and an account of a trip to the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Sicily.

Great article on Der Spiegel Online about the grave wax crisis in many German cemeteries. 

Soil conditions there apparently inhibit decomposition and encourage saponification. I’ve posted about saponification before; it’s the process where fat in the human body is converted (usually by cold and moist burial conditions) into a soapy substance called adipocere, or grave wax. Germany recycles burial plots after 15- to 25-year cycles, so when bodies don’t turn to soil as they should, you’ve got a problem.

Dressed for Eternity is a short slideshow of images of the mummies in the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo by photographer Paolo Ventura. Here’s one:

Most of the images focus on the mummies’ outfits. Check it out.

This is the “New Corridor” of the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo, Sicily. As with the other corridors, mummies and skeletons (most of them dressed up) line the walls.  

I’m not sure what makes these mummies “new,” exactly. Were they more recent additions to the catacombs?

Image source: Wikipedia.

Early 1900s Snapshot of Coffin & Casket by Ballyhooligan on Flickr.

These are some monks.

How do I know they’re monks? Because they’re in the “Monks’ Corridor” of the Capuchin catacombs in Palermo, Sicily; that’s how. (Or at least that’s what Wikipedia says.) There are about 8000 (dressed-up) mummies lining the walls of the catacombs, and the halls are categorized: Men, Women, Virgins, Children, Priests, Monks, and Professionals. More posts and images to come in the next few days.

Image Source: Wikipedia.

Skull Cup by Curious Expeditions on Flickr:

For ritual use in Tibet

In the Trophy Room at the Explorer’s Club in New York, NY.

This is the “Women’s Corridor” of the Capuchin catacombs in Palermo, Sicily.

I’ve been meaning to post about this place for months. There are so many mummies in these catacombs, and pictures of them (and their finery) on the internet, that I must admit I’m a bit overwhelmed. I’ll be posting more images and links in the coming days via my queue. 

In the meantime, here’s a little more background on the catacombs from Wikipedia:

Originally the catacombs were intended only for the dead friars. However, in the following centuries it became a status symbol to be entombed into the Capuchin catacombs. In their wills, local luminaries would ask to be preserved in certain clothes, or even to have their clothes changed at regular intervals. Priests wore their clerical vestments, others were clothed according to the contemporary fashion. Relatives would visit to pray for the deceased and also to maintain the body in presentable condition. The catacombs were maintained through the donations of the relatives of the deceased. Each new body was placed in a temporary niche and later placed into a more permanent place. As long as the contributions continued, the body remained in its proper place but when the relatives did not send money any more, the body was put aside on a shelf until they continued to pay.

Image Source: Wikipedia.

Inscribed Skull by Ballyhooligan on Flickr.

P.S. I am really loving this guy’s Flickr.

I was just scrolling through my dashboard, and I realized that Morbid Curiosity posted about the patron saint of genital disease, too! From the BBC article:

It is unclear exactly how his head may have ended up in Ireland.

Auctioneer Damien Matthews, who is selling the macabre item on Sunday, said that the family think an ancestor brought it back from the grand tour of Europe in the 18th century.

The grand tour was an educational rite of passage for wealthy Europeans from the 17th until the 19th century, intended to provide insight into the great cultural symbols of Europe.

The head sat for many years in the family hall in County Louth, but was recently uncovered in an outhouse.

Mr Matthews said that although he couldn’t be certain it was the head of a saint: “It’s certainly ancient, and it’s certainly the head of somebody.”

xmorbidcuriosityx:

For sale: one severed head of patron saint of genital disease…

The severed head of a man said to be the patron saint of genital disease will go on auction in County Meath on Sunday.

The skull is allegedly that of St Vitalis of Assisi, an Italian Benedictine monk from the 14th century.