The underground cemetery of the Convent of the Capuchins, erroneously known as “the catacombs” preserves the mortal remains of monks, famous people, rich people of Palermo and ordinary people. There are about eight thousand mummified bodies deposed from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century until the end of the tunnels built under the convent and the adjacent church dedicated to Our Lady of Peace. The micro – climatic conditions of these burial sites and the methods used by the monks to embalm the bodies, have allowed the bodies were preserved almost intact, and very recognizable.
The Catacombs of Palermo, although being a bit ‘outside the city center, is one of the tourist destinations most appreciated by visitors to the Sicilian capital. The charm of the macabre, which is preserved intact appallingly from 1599, never goes out of style.
