On This Special Day

This might sound like a bad joke, but on this day, at this very moment, I thought not of my past nor my future. But of my funeral.

This has absolutely no linkage to Good Friday, because for obvious reasons, I am not Jesus Christ even though it would have been awesome if I were to be the saviour of all souls, and to 'chat' with This guy in MSN while being in the form of Jesus. Oh well...

And if you have no idea what Good Friday is, Click Here to read about Good Friday.


If you have no idea, today is the day where I officially grow old. And having to think of death on the day I officially age a little more obviously, is pretty much the the foundation steps of being a pure pessimist.

Death, till now, is still seen as a 'Taboo' word. And to make matters worst, back then, I thought that it was associated with the boogeyman pulling you into his closet, the grim reaper hooking your mouth with his scythe and flying away to the cemetery, drowning or having to be eaten by some shark or in this case, Barry. But as I grew older, I realized that Death had pretty much nothing to do with any of the above mentioned, unless of course, you have a supernatural friend and wish to die in a more special way rather than of old age or some disease.


Well, enough of the side tracking. As I mentioned earlier, on this special day, I thought of my funeral. No one, not even my family, have a clue that I had actually planned (on paper, that is) for my funeral ever since the age of ten.(Yes, I was a child who spent time flinging earthworms at girls, sprinkling salt on snails and even make ants of different territories fight, remember? Click Here then.) And surprisingly, I have not and do not intend to change them.


Like all funerals, the preparation begins with the body. I actually wish not to have a coffin at the wake, but for my body to be incinerated way before the funeral, or rather, the moment I die. I wish not of my body to turn from green to black, my body to bloat with bulging eyes and a protruding tongue. I wish not to have to 'feel' my pancreas digesting itself. And most importantly, I wish not to have my body to stink on this very sacred day. Yes, an urn with my ashes in it would do. Unless I die as a healthy person, then I wished for my body parts to be donated to the hospital so that they can save more lives. In a sick thought, I like the idea of having my body parts to 'live' on without my soul. But still the remains of my body shall be incinerated.


The funeral shall be held on 10th April, because I think it's pretty cool to live and die on the same day (I'll explain later). If authorities forbid, then we shall carry out the funeral in a fortnight (or two) after my death(Again, I'll explain later). It shall be held on a beach that has standards of Bali (or if we have no money, we could always go to St. John island or Port Dickson. So long as it isn't on Sembawang Beach, or anything like that. The grander the better, and I trust that my family would know of which beaches I approve of) , in a white tent.


There would no guest list, but a list of people I do not want to be at my funeral. The reason why there is no guest list is because the invited ones are the people whom I love dearly, and loves me back. People who have impacted my life, and people who's life I have changed, or at the very least, 'touched'. So if they feel that they fit into any one of the category, just head on down. They can be dressed whatever they want, however they want. Just so long as there isn't a large group of people dressed in black (Yet again, I'll explain later).


Only the VIPs (some family and friends) at the funeral are allowed to give the speeches on the podium. No tears of sadness shall be shed. Here' s the explanation for the date of funeral and the colours of clothing. I want my funeral to be one of the most beautiful "parties" , almost like a sweet sixteen party, only less expensive and boy crazy.


On the day of my funeral, I want to be remembered for the days that I lived, and the joy (if any) that I brought to the people I care about. It should be a happy day for everyone should celebrate the years I lived, and not the moment I became stiff. I want my death anniversary to be on 10th April, for I want it to be a joyous occasion where I celebrate my birthday, rather than my death.

Like mentioned earlier, that if authorities don't permit, then I'll have my funeral a fortnight or two after my death. Reason: It's simple. As said, my funeral shall not be a place of sadness, and I think a week or two would pretty much be enough for them to get over their grief of me being dead.


As for the dressing, black just brings all the mood down, so I need my guests to be in awesome colours.


The speeches shall not be more than two hours long, and when that's all over, I want beautiful music to be playing, preferably Jazz and the Oldies. I don't want any sad songs played because it always brings back sad memories, and I wish not to have tears, mucus or loud sobs on my funeral day.


Food has to be awesome as usual, and I wouldn't mind having a couple of drinks around for the guests. But those who go beyond the limit and get drunk, would be booted out of my funeral tent, even if that means my family. I don't want some drunk to come and crash my funeral, and don't think I'm not watching, cause' I am!


Now all this sounds pretty much awesome to me, but I actually left out the time for my funeral. It has to be during Dawn because it brings light to a whole new day.

The moment the Sun rises, marks the end of the whole 'party'. Guest are then required write notes they wished to send to me and attach them to beautiful coloured balloons of all shapes and sizes (I want to remember all of you forever and always). But don't release them just yet. For my ashes need to be placed into this huge balloon and together, all the balloons shall be released at the same time. I'll read them once the notes and the ashes are brought up to me through the stars.


And when I'm all done, I'll pop the balloons so that my ashes are scattered all around the world, together with my notes.



Welcome to my new beginning.

Machines Of Malice part one: My Vicious childhood

I've edited the time for this post so that you'll read part one first, and then part two. Just so that you get what I'm talking.


If you've never been sadistic for a period of your life, that means you're gifted.






What do I mean by Gifted? Well, it means that you're so happy that you never once thought about bitch slapping someone, strangling someone to death, or any horrific thoughts of death on someone you despise. Yes, you're so happy that you're probably screwed in the head.


I however, used to be (or maybe am still) a sadistic person. As a child, I always waited for rainy days to come because it would mean that there would be tonnes of earthworm at, on, and around the playground where I used to stay. I would happily dig those poor drowning worms up and happily display them on the swings, slides and all the spots on the playground, even dangling on the rooftops. Then I would hide and wait for some stupid kid to go out and play. Where I lived, kids were squeamish. And a loud shriek from a girl who found an earthworm wriggling in her hair would make my day.


Now the fun did not end there.

Sometimes when the kids did not come out to play, I would take an earthworm and mutilate it. The awe of it's survival despite being severely mutilated, enticed me to cut it up into many more segments. Then I would take it's head (or was it the tail?) and throw it near a nest of ants to see what happens.


If that didn't cure my needs, I would then search for humungous (exaggerated slang) black ants and similarly sized red ones and have them attack each other. Little did I know that I was already having my own "WarCraft/ Command & Conquer" game going on.


(I actually had a lot of fighting fish back then to fight.. Duh..




But they were too beautiful so I kept them instead. But one day when I came home from school, I found all of them dead, because my brother made them fight one another. Was I depressed then..)


The red ones always seem to be victorious.





But I wasn't satisfied, and so, I'd take two red ants and interlock their pincers. Sometimes, I'd even throw in a spider of two. But mind you, I've been bitten a little too many times just for the sake of my curiosity. When it hurt too much for me to enjoy it, I'd then take chalk and draw circles around the ants. It's funny because ants just can't seem to walk across chalk. (I once did it by drawing a line in front of an ant, and it couldn't walk across it. Sadistic as I was back then, I couldn't help but to draw a circle, and then they were stuck in there forever.)

Don't get me started on the plucking of wings and legs. I'm sadistic, I know. Sue me.


After victorious exclaiming that they were at my mercy, I'd walk away and find some other insect to mess around with. And then I found snails...


I'd sprinkle salt all over them and watch in amazement as they squirm and struggle in their last throes of ressurection. Now don't blame me for being sadistic, one has to resort to ways before one can answer their own curiosity. And if you're wondering why snails and slugs die how they do, it's because of Osmosis.


*Side track (I may have failed Bio but I clearly remember Bio's Osmosis, because of that experiment that got my mind screwed. Hahah)

Snails and slugs have a high percentage of water in their body. Their skin is also more permeable and so when you pour salt all over the snail, the salt concentration on the outer surface is more than in the body of the snail. Osmosis is of a net movement of water molecules from a region higher water concentration to a region lower water concentration through a partially permeable membrane, in this case, the skin.

Thus, the water in the body of the snail, moves out of the body in order to have an equal concentration both on the surface and in the body. The snail then dies from dehydration because it is much dryer than it is.

(See! I made it without having to check any bio book! Okay, action ah..)


There were too many experiments that I carried in which I can't remember. Those mentioned above are the ones that I would do almost every single day. I was a lonely child then. Evil demons must have possessed me back then.

You should have seen when I had swung at full rage against red ants.

This is actually not the point of the post though, I wasted space just talking about my childhood and not the topic of the post. But who cares.


Part two, the actual post, shall be up next!




Loves.

Machines of Malice Part Two

Okay, and now the main topic of the post; Machines of Malice.


Just yesterday, I caught the show "Power Zone: Machines Of Malice" and was I sure captivated by how sadistic the people were back in Medieval Times just to extract information or to punish people. The machines that they used were remarkably well designed to give the perfect execution in terms of having the culprit suffer a slow and painful death.


If you're just as curious as me, today is your lucky day. Because I have done some research and shall reveal to you some(you can search up the net if you want more information on other devices used back then) of the common torture devices used in Medieval Times.


They are The Machines Of Malice.

*Viewers discretion is advised.


In alphabetical order, cause' I'm cool like that.


1. The Breast Ripper




"Used as a way to punish women, the breast ripper was a painful and cruel way to mutilate a woman's breasts.

This instrument was mostly reserved for women accused of conducting a miscarriage or those accused of adultery.

The claws were used either hot or cold on the victim's exposed breasts. If the victim wasn't killed she would be scarred for life as her breasts were literally torn apart.

A common variant of the breast ripper is often referred to as "The Spider" which is a similar instrument attached to a wall. The victim's breasts were fixed to the claws and the woman was pulled by the torturer away from the wall; successfully removing them." (Refer to number 15).



2. The Chair Of Torture






"Also known as the Judas Chair, the Chair of Torture was a terrible device of the Middle Ages. It was used until the late 1800's in Europe.

There are many variants of the chair. They all have one thing in common: spikes cover the back, arm-rests, seat, leg-rests and foot-rests. The number of spikes in one of these chairs ranges from 500 to 1,500.

To avoid movement, the victim's wrists were tied to the chair or, in one version, two bars pushed the arms against arm-rests for the spikes to penetrate the flesh even further. In some versions, there were holes under the chair's bottom where the torturer placed coal to cause severe burns while the victim still remained conscious.

This instrument's strength lies primarily in the psychological fear caused on the victims. It was a common practice to extract a confession by forcing the victim to watch someone else be tortured with this instrument.

The time of death greatly varied ranging from a few hours to a day or more. No spike penetrated any vital organ and the wound was closed by the spike itself which delayed blood loss greatly. "




3. The Coffin Torture

"The Coffin Torture was feared throughout the Middle Ages. It is enough for one to look at the picture to the left to realize the reason.The victim was placed inside the "coffin". Torturers were well-known for forcing overweight victims into the device, or even making the "coffin" slightly larger than normal to make the victims more uncomfortable.The period of time a victim was to be kept inside the coffin was determined by his or her crime. Very serious crimes, such as blasphemy, were punished by death inside the coffin where the victim was to be kept inside under the sun with animals eating his or her flesh.

The coffin was sometimes placed in a public plaza so the local population would congregate around it and mock the unlucky victim. Sometimes death occurred because of the hatred towards the person as others often threw rocks and other objects to further increase the pain."



4. The Crocodile Tube

"The crocodile tube wasn't common, but it was used to kill many infidels and thieves.

The victim was fixed inside a tube just big enough for the victim's entrance. The tube, having crocodile teeth-like spikes, was slowly compressed leaving the victim totally immobilized. The torturer could only see his face and feet.

With the help of carbon and fire underneath the tube, the torturer gradually heated the tube until he extracted a confession or killed the victim. The former was most common, as this is one of the cruelest and most painful tortures ever used on human beings.

With the face and feet exposed, the torturer was able to inflict painful wounds on the victim. Facial mutilation and toe ripping were preferred choices."

5. The Ducking Stool





"Dunking is a form of punishment that was mainly reserved for supposed witches. The victim was tied to a chair which was elevated or lowered by the torturer. If he noticed that the victim was going to pass out, he elevated the chair. When he needed information and the victim was unwilling to cooperate, he lowered it. This method was widely used during the Spanish Inquisition and in England and France. The victim was usually intermittently submerged for many hours until he or she revealed information or death occurred.

While witches were commonly tortured using this method, thieves and murderers could be subject to it in order to extract a confession. This was more common when other more sophisticated torture devices were not present."




6. Flaying



"Flaying is a very old torture method that was used thousands of years ago in the Middle East, Africa and even America. During the Middle Ages, it was frequently used to torture and execute criminals, captured soldiers and witches.

In one version of the Flaying Torture, the victim's arms were tied to a pole above his head while his feet were tied below. His body was now completely exposed and the torturer, with the help of a small knife, peeled off the victim's skin slowly. In most cases, the torturer peeled off his facial skin first, slowly working his way down to the victim's feet. Most victims died before the torturer even reached their waist.

In another version, the victim was exposed to the Sun until his skin reddened. This was followed by the torturer peeling off his flesh with the same method described above.

In yet another version, the victim was submerged into boiling water and was taken out after a few minutes. He was slowly flayed.

Some cultures believed that human skin contained magical properties. Others used human parts, such as scalps, to show social status. "



7. The Garrote







"Very common in all the world, the Garrotte received its Spanish name due to its popularity in the area. The Spanish also perfected this instrument to cause a painful and decisive death.

The victim was tied to the instrument and his or her neck forced inside the iron collar. With the handle that can be seen in the picture, the executioner slowly crushed the victim's neck causing death from asphyxia.

The garrote was widely used during the Spanish Inquisition in order to kill heretics who confessed to their crime. If he didn't confess, he was burned at the stake alive instead. The reason is that being killed by the garrote takes a few minutes at most, while being burned alive takes much longer.

This device was used in Spain until 1975, when a student was executed. He was later found innocent. "





8. The Head Crusher








"The head crusher was widely used during most of the Middle Ages, especially the Inquisition. With the chin placed over the bottom bar and the head under the upper cap, the torturer slowly turned the screw pressing the bar against the cap.

This resulted in the head being slowly compressed. First the teeth are shattered into the jaw; then the victim slowly died with agonizing pain, but not before his eyes were squeezed from his sockets.

This instrument was a formidable way to extract confessions from victims as the period of pain could be prolonged for many hours if the torturer chose to. This could be done by repeatedly turning the screw both ways.

If the torture was stopped midway, the victim often had irreparable damage done to the brain, jaw or eyes.

Many variants of this instrument existed, some that had small containers in front of the eyes to receive them as they fell out of their sockets. "



9. Iron Maiden





"The Iron Maiden, otherwise known as the Virgin of Nuremberg, was a device used from the XVI century to torture criminals.

It stands 7 feet tall and is able to accommodate a man. The victim was tied inside the Maiden and one of the two doors was shut, penetrating the victim's flesh with the strategically-placed spikes that didn't penetrate any vital organs. When completely closed, the screams from the victim could not be heard outside, nor could the victim see any light or hear anything. This increased the psychological pain. Additionally, the spikes blocked the wounds so it took many hours - or even days - for death to occur.

If the door was opened, the victim would stand in the exact same position so if the torturer chose to close the door again, the spikes would penetrate the exact same wounds. Sometimes the door was intermittently closed to maximize the victim's pain without delivering death."



10. Judas Cradle





"The Judas Cradle, a terrible medieval torture where the victim would be placed on top of a pyramid-like seat. The victim's feet were tied to each other in a way that moving one leg would force the other to move as well - increasing pain.

The triangular-shaped end of the Judas cradle was inserted in the victim's anus or vagina. This torture could last, depending on some factors discussed below, anywhere from a few hours to complete days.

Death Factors

The time it took someone to die varied enormously from individual to individual. Torturers would sometimes add weight to the victim's legs as to increase pain and hurry the victim's death. Other torturers would place oil on the device which increased pain considerably.

This device was rarely, if at all, washed. If the victim did not die quickly enough, or their painful execution was interrupted, they would invariantly die from an infection.

The victim was sometimes rocked or made fall repeatedly onto the "pyramid". This was done so torturers could acquire vital information from the victim. If he or she refused to talk, the torturer would either add more weight to the victim or make him or her fall repeatedly on the device.

Other information

The Judas cradle was called the culla di Giuda in Italian, the Judaswiege in German and The Wake in French.

The victim was usually naked when subject to the Judas Cradle. This was to increase humiliation.

To prolong the victim's life and cause more pain, torturers would sometimes rise the victim with ropes for the night and continue the torture during the morning.

A common variant of the Judas Cradle was the Impalement Torture - equally painful."



If you want to know more about Impalement, Click Here


It looks like this :








11. The Knee Splitter





"The knee splitter, a terrible torture, was mostly used during the Inquisition. What this instrument accomplished was to permanently render the knees useless.

Even though the name implies that this instrument was only used for "splitting" knees, it was also used in other body parts including: the elbows, arms and even the lower legs.

As the torturer turned the handle, the claws slowly slammed against each other mutilating any skin in between. The number of spikes the knee splitter contained varied from three to more than twenty.

There were many variants to this instrument. Some claws were heated beforehand to maximize pain - others had dozens of small claws that penetrated the flesh slowly and painfully.

Even though this method very seldom provoked direct death, it was often followed by other more painful methods if the victim refused to cooperate. "




12. Lead Sprinkler





"At first sight, it looks like a holy water sprinkler, but in reality it's a bit more complex. The torturer poured molten metals in one end and its contents slowly rushed to the other side where they fell on any part of the victim's body. Many executions occurred with this instrument.

A common way to execute a victim was by pouring molten silver on his eyes. This caused a great deal of pain and eventually provoked death. "



13. Pear of Anguish










"The Pear of Anguish was used during the Middle Ages as a way to torture women who conducted a miscarriage, liars, blasphemers and homosexuals.

A pear-shaped instrument was inserted into one of the victim's orifices: the vagina for women, the anus for homosexuals and the mouth for liars and blasphemers.

The instrument consisted of four leaves that slowly separated from each other as the torturer turned the screw at the top. It was the torturer's decision to simply tear the skin or expand the "pear" to its maximum and mutilate the victim.

The Pear of Anguish was usually very adorned to differentiate between the anal, vaginal and oral pears. They also varied in size accordingly.

This torture very rarely provoked death, but was often followed by other torture methods. "




14. The Rack






"The rack is commonly considered the most painful form of medieval torture. It was a wooden frame usually above ground with two ropes fixed to the bottom and another two tied to a handle in the top.

The torturer turned the handle causing the ropes to pull the victim's arms. Eventually, the victim's bones were dislocated with a loud crack. If the torturer kept turning the handles, some of the limbs were torn apart, usually the arms.

This method was mostly used to extract confessions, as not confessing meant that the torturer could stretch more. Sometimes, torturers forced their victim to watch other people be tortured with this device to implant psychological fear.

Many knights from the Knights Templar were tortured with the rack. The limbs collected from this and other punishments of the time were "emptied by the hundreds".

Sometime this method was limited to dislocating a few bones, but the torturer often went too far and rendered the legs or arms (sometimes both) useless. In the late Middle Ages, some new variants of this instrument appeared. They often had spikes that penetrated the victim's back - as the limbs were pulled apart, so was his spinal cord increasing not only the physical pain, but the psychological one of being handicapped at best, too."

15. The Spanish Spider







"The Spider was designed to mutilate a woman's breasts. The spider is nothing but a variation of the famous breast ripper, though the spider is believed to be more painful.

The spider was usually chained to the wall - the claws were usually heated before being fixed to the woman's breasts. The torturer just had to pull the woman away from the wall to successfully remove her breasts.

This was a brutal punishment that often resulted in the victim's demise. Fortunately, it was rarely used and only reserved for women who committed very serious crimes: miscarriage and adultery.

The spider is also known as the Spanish Spider because it was used during the Spanish Inquisition. "



16. The Wheel







"This device was used as a capital punishment during the Middle Ages. Reserved for hated criminals, The Wheel always killed its victim, but did so very slowly.

The Wheel originated in Greece and quickly spread to Germany, France, Russia, England and Sweden. The device consists of a large wooden wheel with many spokes. The victim's limbs were tied to the spokes and the wheel itself was slowly revolved. Through the openings between the spokes, the torturer usually hit the victim with an iron hammer that could easily break the victim's bones. Once his bones were broken, he was left on the wheel to die, sometimes placed on a tall pole so the birds could feed from the still-living human.

In France, many executioners used the coups de grâce, which caused lethal injuries, to make the victim's death faster. When extreme pain was desired, the victim just had his bones broken and left there to die. It could take up to two or three days for him to die of dehydration. "




And last but not least...


17. The Thumb Screw








"The victim's fingers were placed inside the instrument and slowly crushed as the torturer turned the handle on top. This method was primarily used to extract confessions as it was both painful and very lasting.

If the victim refused to speak, the torturer could choose from many other torture methods.

The same instrument was also used to crush victim's toes.

A bigger variant of the instrument that followed the same principle was used to crush victim's feet, knees and elbows. The Head Crusher was used for crushing the head.

A similar device was used for medical purposes in order to straighten the fingers of warriors who had been injured. The effectiveness of such instrument is debated. "





If these have not satisfied your sadistic needs, or if you're just plain curious, you can check out the links in my credits.



*Credits:

http://worldofwonder.net/?tag=machines-of-malice
http://www.medievality.com/torture.html
http://medieval-castles.org/index.php/impaling_torture




Loves.

Incoruptibles

Not For The Faint-Hearted. Or at least, not for those who are afraid of seeing the DEAD.


If you know me well enough, you would know of my interest in the field of the paranormal phenomenon. I love sharing and exchanging tales of "experiences" with family and friends. I love watching "A Haunting" where the team of investigators would set up cameras around the haunted place to observe the paranormal activities. Some of them would then tour the area with devices to trace for unusual situations like a change in temperature. I am always at the edge of my seat whenever I see episodes whereby the ghost is furious and would make noises or toss items about.

I do support the local "Ghost Busters" (SPI) too, by visiting their website frequently to read the stories and follow up on the investigations. I don't know about you, but I would always place myself in the settings, as if I too, were involved in the paranormal investigations. I would then question (sometimes aloud) as to why the ghost is doing this, what am I supposed to do, what clues are there, how come their spirits are still around, how does it feel and so on. You get what I mean.

Anyway, last night, I watched a show on the National Geographic Channel called "Sleeping Beauties: The Incorruptibles." And a new question rose to the surface: Why do Saints leave their incorruptible bodies behind? I don't know if any of you caught the show. And if you didn't and have no clue as to what I am talking about, fear not! Wikipedia to the rescue!

Incorruptibility is the Catholic and Orthodox Christian belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to not undergo the normal process of decomposition after death. Bodies that reportedly undergo little or no decomposition are sometimes referred to as incorrupt or incorruptible (adjective) or as an incorruptible (noun).

Incorruptibility is seen as distinct from the good preservation of a body, or mummification. Incorruptible bodies are often said to have the Odour of Sanctity, exuding a sweet aroma. However, despite numerous claims, there are no scientifically verified cases of genuine incorruptibility.

I was curios.. So more research!


From http://www.overcomeproblems.com/incorruptables.htm (It's an attack site, So I guess no one's going to click on it huh?)

Specimens of preserved human bodies or "mummies" have been discovered throughout the centuries, some even from before the Egyptian Pharaoh times when the art of embalming originated. Many of these preserved bodies have survived decomposition for as many as 3000 years. Of all preserved bodies that have been discovered over the centuries, each fall into one of three categories:

1. Accidentally preserved - These type of preserved bodies were determined to be naturally preserved due to accidental means such as having been buried in dry, hot sand, or lava, or having been placed in an area with high radioactivity. As long as air or moisture did not reach these bodies, they can many times be preserved from significant, but not total decay. However, when accidentally preserved bodies are discovered, they are typically discolored, wrinkled, distorted, are skeletal looking and have no elasticity. In addition they always have a bad odor and always decay rapidly once bandaging is removed for scientific examination.

2. Deliberately preserved - Deliberately preserved corpses are those that were purposely embalmed or otherwise treated before burial with the intention of trying to naturally prevent decomposition. As long as air or moisture did not reach these bodies, they can many times be preserved from significant, but not total decay. In most older cases of deliberately preserved human bodies discovered, the body cavities were filled with specific materials like resin or resin-soaked sawdust, or the entire body was submerged in specific materials such as honey, rum, or sand. In more modern methods of attempting to prevent corpse decomposition, the body was typically submerged or filled with resin, tar, salt, alcohol, or a combination of these. Again, when deliberately preserved bodies are discovered, like accidentally preserved bodies, they are typically discolored, wrinkled, distorted, are skeletal looking and have no elasticity. In addition they always have a bad odor and always decay rapidly once bandaging is removed for scientific examination.

3. Incorruptibles - These type of preserved bodies started being discovered back in the early centuries after Christ, though surprisingly, they do not fall into either the accidental or deliberate preservation categories above. The causes for "incorruptibles" remaining free of decomposition have baffled scientists to this day. These bodies are discovered in many different environments, including environments that would typically cause an accidental or deliberately preserved corpse to decompose rapidly. They remain free of decay regardless of manner of burial, delay in burial, temperature, moisture, rough handling, frequent transference, having been covered in quicklime (a decaying agent), or proximity to other decaying corpses. They cannot be explained by science or reason. Some common characteristics of an incorrupt body:

	Incorruptibles are typically found lifelike, moist, flexible, and contain a sweet scent that many say smells like roses or other flowers, for years after death.
	Incorruptibles are almost never embalmed or treated in any way due to the religious order's beliefs that the person came from.
	Incorruptibles remain free of decay, some for centuries, despite circumstances which normally cause decay such as being exposed to air, moisture, other decaying bodies, or other variables such as quicklime, which is typically applied to a corpse to accelerate decomposition.
	Incorruptibles many times contain clear, flowing oils, perspiration, and flowing blood for years after death, where accidental or deliberately preserved bodies have never been recorded to have such characteristics.
	Other partial incorruptibles have been found throughout the centuries where certain parts of the body decay normally, while other parts such as the heart or tongue remain perfectly free of decomposition.

What is most astounding of all is the fact that for each incorrupt body discovered, after research has been done to determine who the person was, it has always been determined that the person was an extremely devout Catholic. This inevitably leads to the question, How can the process of decay, which has no intelligence, choose which bodies to devour and not to devour, and why do they happen to be devout Catholics? (For claims of incorrupt Orthodox Christians, please see our page on the subject here.) There is no other way to describe this phenomena than to state that it is supernatural rather than natural, and that it is simply miraculous.

In addition, many unexplainable miracles have occurred throughout history when people have come in contact with these incorrupt remains, and despite regular medical examinations, scientists have not determined why. These incorrupt bodies are on display all over the world to this day (mainly in Europe), and nearly all bodies who have been identified and whose background has been researched thoroughly, have been canonized by the Catholic Church as Saints due to their publicly devout Catholic life.

Note that some incorrupt bodies that have been discovered and placed on display have had make up or wax added to them to improve their appearance. This is due to the fact that some bodies, while incorrupt, may not appear as beautiful as others, or may only be partially incorrupt while others are fully incorrupt. To those non-believers reading this page, these minor touch-ups are irrelevant when it comes to the state of a body's incorruptibility; no amount of make up or wax could possibly prevent these bodies (some centuries old!) from decaying once placed on display. The majority of incorrupt bodies remain incorrupt after being put on display, regardless of whether they have been touched up or not.

If you still have no idea, then let me show you. There's actually a list of them. I'll try to find all the pictures.

It's going to be alittle freaky.

Here goes:

Jacinta Marto - Jacinta Marto was one of the three original visionaries at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. She was born in 1910 and died in 1920. In both 1935 and 1951 her body was exhumed and in each instance, her body was found to be incorrupt. The Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima was built on the site where the three children first saw "a lady brighter than the sun" and Jacinta's tomb has remained there since 1951.See picture below

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini - Also known as Mother Cabrini, she died in Chicago in 1917, and was entombed at that time in West Park, New York. In 1931 her remains were exhumed and found to be partially incorrupt. She was beatified in 1938 and in 1946 was the first US citizen to be canonized a Saint. Her partially incorrupt body covered in wax is now enshrined under the altar in the chapel at St. Francis Cabrini Shrine in New York City. See photo below.

Pope St. Pius X - Pope St. Pius X was the 257th Catholic Pope, reigning from 1903 to 1914. He passed away on August 20, 1914 and was buried in the crypt below St. Peter's Basilica. On May 19, 1944, Pope Pius X's coffin was exhumed and was taken to the Chapel of the Holy Crucifix in St. Peter's Basilica for the canonical examination. Upon opening the coffin, the examiners found the body of Pope Pius X preserved, despite the fact that he had died 30 years before and had made wishes not to be embalmed.See pictures below.

Following his beatification, on February 17, 1952, Pope Pius X's body was transferred from its tomb to the Vatican basilica and placed under the altar of the chapel of the Presentation. The pontiff's body lies within a glass and bronze-work sarcophagus for the faithful to see. On May 29, 1954, less than three years after his beatification, Pope St. Pius X was canonized. See photo below.

Saint Maria Mazzarello - Died in 1881 and was later discovered incorrupt. Her incorrupt body is venerated in the Basilica of Mary Our Help, in Turin, Italy. See photo below.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous (also pictured at the top of the page) - St. Bernadette was the original visionary at Lourdes, France and died in 1879 in Nevers, France. Her body was exhumed 30 years later in 1909 and was discovered completely incorrupt and free of odor. The body was again exhumed a second time ten years later in 1919 and was still incorrupt. Her body is still on display in the Chapel of St. Bernadette in Nevers, France to this day. See photos below.

Blessed Paula Frassinetti - Died in 1882 and her body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt in 1906. Her body is on display in the Chapel of the Convent of Santa Dorotea in Rome, Italy.

St. Catherine Laboure' - Died in 1876 and was exhumed and found incorrupt and completely flexible in 1933. Her body is on display under the side altar in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Sun in Paris. See photo below.

St. Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney (Cure' of Ars) - Died in 1859 and was exhumed and found incorrupt in 1904. His body is on display above the main altar in the Basilica at Ars in France. See photo below.

St. Vincent Pallotti - Died in 1850 and was exhumed and found incorrupt and sweetly scented in 1906 and again in 1950. His body is on display under the main altar in the Church of St. Salvatore in Onda, Italy. See picture below.

Bl. Anna Marie Taigi - Died in 1837 at the age of 64 and after 18 years her coffin was opened and body found to be incorrupt. On August 18, 1865 her body was transferred to the Church of San Crisogono in Trastevere (Rome) where it remains to the present day, still incorrupt.

St. Teresa Margaret - Died in 1770 and was exhumed and found incorrupt in 1783. Her body is on display in a glass case at the Monastery of St. Teresa in Florence, Italy. See photo below.

St. Veronica Giuliani - Died in 1727 and later found incorrupt. See photo below.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque - Died in 1690 at the age of 43. Her tomb was canonically opened 140 years later in 1830 and body found to be incorrupt. Her body rests under the altar in the chapel at Paray in France. See picture below.

Ven. Mary of Agreda - Died in 1665 and was later discovered incorrupt. Her body has been examined again in later years, including in 1909 and 1989 with no degradation to the body. Her body has remained incorrupt for over 340 years and is kept in a convent in Spain. See photo below.

St. Andrew Bobola - He was severely tortured and intentionally killed in 1657, and was thereafter buried beneath a Jesuit church at Pinsk. After 40 years his body was discovered incorrupt, despite the body's proximity to other decaying corpses and the excessive wounds on his body that normally would have fostered corruption. His body is still as flexible as a live body and is on display under the main altar in the Church of St. Andrew Bobola in Warsaw, Poland.

St. Francis Xavier - Died 1552 and was discovered incorrupt, despite the fact that lime was placed in his casket to expedite decomposition. His body was also said to have bled normally one and a half years after death during an examination by a physician. The body is now in the in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket on December 2, 1637. See photo below.

St. Angela Merici - Died in 1540 and her body remained intact for centuries. She is buried in the Church of St. Afra at Brescia. See photo below.

Bl. Osanna of Manua' - Died in 1505. Her body is on display under the altar in Our Lady of the Rosary in the Cathedral of Manua, Italy. In 1965 the relic of her body was examined in depth and still found to be well preserved (460 years old!)

St. Catherine of Bologna - Died in 1463 and has been incorrupt and on display in an upright position for over 500 years. See photo below.

St. Rita of Cascia - Died in 1457. Her body kept a sweet fragrance all of these centuries and is on display in a glass case in the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, Italy. It is also publicly known that her body has been seen in different positions in the glass case, as well as eyes having opened and closed unaided. See photo below.

Blessed Imelda Lambertini - Known better as Blessed Imelda, she died as a young girl in 1333 and was later found incorrupt. She was beatified in 1826 and her incorrupt body is on display in the Church of San SigismondoBologna, Italy. See photo below.

Blessed Margaret of Metola (Castello) - Died in 1320 and was found incorrupt in 1558. Her body is on display under the high altar of the Church of St. Domenico at Citta-di-Castello, Italy. See photo below.

St. Agnes of Montepulciano - Died in Italy in 1317 and was later found incorrupt. She remained whole and incorrupt until the 16th century when, due to excessive humidity in her tomb, some of her body decomposed. Much of her body has still remained intact for 7 centuries now, including limbs and bones, which are now enclosed in a figure of the Saint on display at the Sanctuary of St. Agnes in Montepulciano, Italy. See photo below.

St. Clare of Montefalco - Died in 1308 and though her body was embalmed, her body has still remained perfectly incorrupt (beyond what embalming can provide in over 7 centuries). Her body is still normally flexible and displayed in the church of the Augustinian nuns of Montefalco, Italy. See photo below.

St. Zita - Died in 1278 and her body is on display in a glass reliquary in the Basilica of St. Frediano in Lucca, Italy. See photo below.

St. Sperandia - Died in 1276 her body is on display in the Benedictine convent church of Cingoli, Italy. Her body was exhumed eight different times, the last in 1952. It is still incorrupt to this day and exudes a sweet fragrance.

Saint Alphege - Was Archbishop of Canterbury and was captured, put in prison, and eventually murdered by his captors in 1012. Ten years later his perfectly incorrupt body was discovered.

Saint Withburga - Died in 743 and incorrupt body was discovered 55 years later. Her remains were on display for over 300 more years thereafter until destroyed during the Reformation.

Saint Etheldreda - Died in 679 and was later found incorrupt. Her remains were intact for nearly 800 years until the Reformation when, at the orders of Henry VIII, her relics were scattered and shrine destroyed.

Saint Agatha - Died in 251 and body was discovered incorrupt in the eleventh century. Parts of her incorrupt body are still in existence today.

Saint Cecilia - Died in 177 and her body was discovered incorrupt in 1599. St. Cecilia is known to be the first saint to be incorrupt. Below is a statue of St. Cecilia created during the exhumation of her incorrupt body in 1599. The position is the same as the actual body and is believed to be the position in which she died. The statue is located in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Rome.

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