One of the most captivating displays of saintly relics is at the Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico in Siena, Italy, a town about 45 miles (72km) south of Tuscany. Worshippers and tourists who visit this search can see the mummified head of… Read More ›
While doing some research on heart burials, the ritual internment of the heart separate from the rest of the corpse, I came across an account of the odd and days-long funeral of the prince-bishops of Würzburg in an article by… Read More ›
While the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy is widely accepted to be home to the relics of Saint Nicholas, there are two other cities that allege to possess his grave: Venice, Italy and Newtown Jerpoint, Ireland. This osteological controversy started when the… Read More ›
Corpse medicine was a type of remedy produced with the bones, organs, and blood from dead bodies. It is mentioned in ancient medical texts and histories from Greece, China, Mesopotamia, and India. One of the more peculiar accounts of corpse… Read More ›
A church in the small village of Kampehl in Brandenburg, Germany displays the mummified remains of a knight who died in the early 18th century. It’s not unusual for European churches to show the bodies and body parts of saints… Read More ›
Cadavers have been used to teach anatomy and surgical techniques, discover rates of decomposition, and even to develop crash test dummies. Corpses have also been used to settle anatomical debates about how Jesus of Nazareth might have been crucified and test the… Read More ›
In the Cathedral of Otranto are five large display cases that contain the bones of the “martyrs of Otranto.” The skulls face the cathedral’s visitors and are mixed with long bones and bones of the pelvis. In one of the… Read More ›
On Tuesday, Mongolia’s Morning News reported that the mummified remains of a Buddhist monk were discovered in the country’s Songinokhairkhan province. The body was found seated in the lotus position wrapped in an animal skin. After an initial examination, experts… Read More ›
Soldiers have removed body parts from corpses to keep as trophies as souvenirs of war since ancient times. According to Katy Meyers Emery, mortuary archaeologist and bioarchaeologist, human remains as souvenirs of war can be divided into two categories, trophies… Read More ›
The church of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco in Naples, Italy was built in 1616 by noblemen who founded the Congrega di Purgatorio ad Arco, an organization to help the poor. At the gate there are two… Read More ›
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