ABSTRACT
The “catacombs” of the Capuchins of Palermo, too little studied, pose a whole series of historical, sociological and anthropological questions. This work will piece together the history of the practice of mummification and exhibition of Palermitan cadavers from the late sixteenth century to the twentieth and, using the extensive available documentation, it will also trace the characteristics and reconstruct the meanings of this practice, which has important social, juridical and religious implications.
