USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

First Advisor

Gary Mormino, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

James Anthony Schnur Associate University Librarian Special Collections and University Archives

Publisher

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Document Type

Thesis

Date Available

May 2013

Publication Date

2013

Date Issued

May 2013

Abstract

Beneath the sacred soil of Sicily’s Capuchin convent resides Palermo’s elite friars, artists, and aristocrats. All of the catacomb’s residents have departed this world. Their bodies are suspended in time, free from decomposition and decay. The Capuchin Order of the Friars Minor came to Sicily in 1534. Their mission was to care for the sick and the dead. As an act of humility, the order forbade burial in the church. The friars built the subterranean necropolis for their brethren in 1599. The Capuchin’s mummification ingenuity began with an act of divine intervention. The order’s funeral rituals correlate with the theory of secondary burial. The deceased body must be treated in a particular manner in order for the soul to reach the afterlife. The Capuchin Catacomb is one of Palermo’s most famous attractions. The catacomb mummies have been preserved in several manners, including techniques used today in modern embalming methods. The Sicilian people have a close relationship with the dead; they are adored and worshiped as relics. Globalization is a growing threat to the conservation of the catacomb’s mummies. Death is socially constructed and its perception varies greatly throughout time and culture. Each visitor of Palermo’s subterranean necropolis leaves with a sober realization of mortality.

Comments

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Honors Program, University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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