Okay so this probably wasn't the best time to start eating a raspberry swiss roll which I desperately sourced from the kitchen cupboard as I did feel a little queasy straight after reading this article but queasy in a GOOD way, because now I can share with you possibly the most amazing morbid pictures you will ever see. Now I myself have quite a morbid fascination, I was told that this is a 'phase' most teenagers go through but I can assure you anyone in their right minds would be awe struck at these pictures.
A new book coming out this October by LA-based photographer and author Paul Koudounaris — called Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs, published by Thames & Hudson illustrates and outlines the history behind some of these bejewelled skeletons I'm about to show you, so if you're interested make sure to Amazon your copy.
The great thing about these skeletons is how old they are, and how unknown they are. The embellished skeletons were found in catacombs beneath Rome in 1578.Many believed that they were Christian martyrs to churches that had lost their saint relics in the Reformation. However, for most, their identities were not known. The receiving churches then spent years covering the revered skeletal strangers with jewels and golden clothing, even filling their eye sockets and sometimes adorning their teeth with finery. Yet when the Enlightenment came around they became a little embarrassing for the sheer amount of money and excess they represented, and many were hidden away or disappeared. Koudounaris tracked down the dead survivors.
Source: Atlas Obscura
No comments:
Post a Comment