Have you heard about cadaveric incorruptibility? For many centuries, human beings have been involved with death and all its mysteries. In various civilizations, especially in the society of Ancient Egypt, some of the bodies of those who died were mummified, so that they could be preserved and reach the life after death. These corpses could last in good condition for many years due to those processes. But, curiously, there have been several remains that without any type of conservation process have been preserved in good condition. These have been called incorrupt bodies and are a great mystery to society. For this reason, in this new Supercurious article we will tell you about 8 of these amazing bodies. Let’s discover them!
Discover the 8 most amazing uncorrupted bodies
As we explained it to you, I don’t know exactly why these remains can be preserved in that way: what makes a body not decompose? It is said that the possible main causes could be the dehydration and lack of oxygen.
Even so, this was normally considered to occur due to a divine intervention, especially for Buddhism and the Catholic religion. Since the Middle Ages, the Church has venerated many of these bodies belonging to saints or blessedlike relics.
In many cases, it covered with wax to preserve them from continuous exposure and in others not. The latter are usually quite deteriorated. Sometimes, uncorrupted fragments of these bodies are preserved, giving rise to creepy religious objects.
Although this is a phenomenon that presents various curiosities about incorrupt bodies, this time we will focus on the most popular cases of cadaverous incorruptibility.
1. Blessed Aloysius Stepinac
Our first case of cadaveric incorruptibility is very curious. This man was of Croatian origin and was born on May 8, 1898. He was the Catholic Archbishop of Zagreb, capital of Croatia, from 1937 until his death in 1960.
This case of incorrupt bodies is preserved in the zagreb cathedral and has a wax treatment to preserve it better. Time after his death, in 1998, John Paul II declared him a martyr.
His beatification was highly controversial, as He was accused and tried for collaboration with the Nazi regime in Yugoslavia during World War II.
2. Sister Maria de Jesus de Leon y Delgado
María de Jesús was born on March 23, 1643 in Sauzal, a small municipality that see in Tenerife (Spain) and died in 1731. Specifically, his body is preserved in the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in San Cristóbal de la Laguna.
Known as “la Siervita” she is one of the most revered Canarian figures. In addition to being one of the most amazing incorrupt bodies, Sister María several mysteries and miracles are attributed to him among which we can count: the appearance of stigmata, levitation, clairvoyance and hyperthermia (abnormally high body temperature), among others. Still, currently his beatification is pending.
3. Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli
This Saint was born on April 2, 1587 in Genoa, one of the must-see cities in Italy. Time later, in 1651, he died in that same city. He was born into a wealthy family and devoted much of his life to charities.
Many years after his death, In 1801, the remains of this woman were exhumed and it was there that they discovered that it was another of the incorrupt bodies.
Thus, it was transferred to the convent of Santa Clara. Already in 1980, her body was exhumed again to carry out the beatification process. However, it was until in 2003 that she was canonized by the Pope. Currently, the remains of the Saint are preserved in the mother house of the Brignolinea congregation of which she was a founder.
4. King Saint Ferdinand of Castile
It is said that the date of birth of this king could have been in 1199 or 1201, but what is certain is that he died in 1252. He was King of Castile between 1217 and 1257 and it was the father of Alfonso X, the wise man, who sent cover his father’s mausoleum with silver, even if this was against the king’s wishes.
On the other hand, Ferdinand III is known for having reconquered many kingdoms from the Muslims. In 1590 Pope Sixtus V confirmed that this king was a Saint and granted him his canonization.
In addition to this, this is one of the incorrupt bodies whose urn remains closed to the public, however, Every May 30, his feast day, it is exhibited in the Cathedral of Seville so that the faithful can go to worship him.
5. Saint Zita of Lucca
This woman was born in 1218 and died in 1272 in Italy, where you can see his body in the Basilica of San Frediano Luccaone of the most beautiful cities in Italyand of which she is patron.
The most curious thing about this case of incorrupt bodies is that this devotee was a domestic workerwho despite his austere condition, dedicated his life to saving in order to help those who needed it most. For this reason, she is usually represented with a bucket in her hand or some keys, since they are a symbol of service.
On some occasions, it represented with lilies, a symbol of purity. So great is the devotion to this Saint that many times the city of Lucca is called Santa Zita.
6. Santa Joaquina Vedruna
The next case of cadaverous incorruptibility is that of Santa Joaquina. She was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1783 and died in this same city in 1854. The cause of his death was anger, which is why he also had to leave his duties.
Despite her religious vocation, she married, became a mother and was widowed. After this stage of her life, she founded schools, hospitals and convents throughout the Spanish geography. She was founder of the Carmelites of Charity and, in addition, he dedicated himself to teaching and caring for the sick. Reasons that helped her achieve canonization in 1959. This case of uncorrupted bodies It is located in the oratory of the Escorial College in Vic.
7. Saint John Mary Vianney
This Saint was born in 1786 in the French commune of Dardilly and died in 1859 in Ars, also in France. It was in this town where he exercised his ministry. He is the patron saint of Catholic priests.
During his lifetime he caused a spiritual revolution in France. This Saint was truly humble and had the ability to make sinners repent, which is why faithful from all corners of the country came to him to confess and change their lives. It was in 1874 when Pope Pius XI proclaimed this man a Saint and his feast is commemorated every August 4.
8. The Lama Itigilov
We finish our list with one of the cases of incorrupt bodies belonging to the Buddhism. It is said that he was born in 1852 in Buryatia, Republic of Russia and died in 1927. It is said that his parents abandoned him when he was very young, so he had to take care of sheep in order to survive.
At just 15 years old, he joined a monastery and eventually became the leader of the Russian Buddhists. Being in this position, he dedicated himself to collecting donations of clothing, food and others for the soldiers who participated in the First World War. Her body he has been exhumed three times since his death and remains incorrupt.
Of course there are many other cases of incorrupt bodies, but our article has reached this far for today. Tell us if you already knew the concept of Corpse Incorruptibility and what do you think about it.
Also, do not forget to tell us about the cases that most call your attention. We will be very happy to read you. In addition to this, if you have been interested in this article, be sure to read our post: shocking things when you burn a corpse.