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131

SIruhi rad AcIa med-hisI AdriaI 2012,10(1),131-140


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MUMlllClRANA 1lJllA SVl1ACA NA PDRUCJU


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T|e s:r|cn :un j VJncn |s:s c c||ec:|n j mumm|j|eJ |J|es cnJ re||cs. T|ree mum-
m|es cre cm|e:e|, reserteJ cnJ |e|n : |esseJ en em|, S: G|tcnn| ||n|, cnJ S:
||c|sc ursc, u|||e :|e :|er :|ree cre mumm|j|eJ remc|ns j S: cr|crc, S: Se|cs:|cn,
cnJ S: Mcr, j ,:.
T||s cr:|c|e |tes cn tert|eu j :|e :|ree cm|e:e|, reserteJ |J|es, |nc|uJ|n :|e|r e\:er-
nc| cnJ|:|n, |c|rc||c Jc:c, s:c:emen:s cnJ |,:|eses :|c: neeJ ter|j|cc:|n |, ju:ure
:cre:eJ sc|en:|j|c resecrc|. -|:|u| |cc| u|c:|ns c::r||u:e J|t|ne rer:|es : :|e
remc|ns cnJ :rec: :|e|r cn:|nueJ resertc:|n cs c m,s:er,, :|e|r r||n |s r|c||, s|m||cr
: :|c: j :|er mumm|j|eJ sc|n:s. - sc|en:|j|c s:uJ, erjrmeJ n :|e mumm|es u||| r|c||,
|e| : retec| :|e :rue r||ncnJ :,e j mumm|j|cc:|n j :|e |J|es. -JJ|:|nc| c|ec:|-
||cc| resecrc| cu|J c|s Je:erm|ne :|e ccuse j Jec:|, |j :|e sc|n:s J|eJ |, nc:urc| ccuses,
r c::es: : cn, mu:||c:|n r s|n j :r:ure sujjereJ |n ||je cnJ cnj|rm :|em cs :|e ccuse j
Jec:|. rer ||crc|ce||cc| resecrc| cu|J |r|n useju| s:e||rc||cc| uJc:es : :|e
e\|s:|n recrJs c|u: :|ese sc|n:s.
.H\ZRUGV Sc|n:s, mumm,, c|ec:||,, ||crc|ce|,, M|JJ|e -es, s:r|c
*
1his is an extended and modified version of a paper presented at the lirst Bolzano Mummv
Con,ress in 2OO9.
**
Department of lorensic Medicine and Criminalistics, Rijeka Universitv School of Medicine, Brace
Branchetta 2O, 51OOO Rijeka, Croatia
***
Croatian Scientific Societv for the Historv of Health Culture, Rijeka, Brace Branchetta 2O, 51 OOO
Rijeka, Croatia

-JJress jr crresnJence: Anja Petaros, MD, Department of lorensic Medicine and Criminalistics,
Rijeka Universitv School of Medicine, Brace Branchetta 2O, HR -51OOO Rijeka- Croatia, e-mail:
anja.petaros_vahoo.com
132
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luropean mummies occupv a si,nificant place amon, the world-
known mummies. 1hev can be classified into several sub,roups based on
the tvpe of mummification (natural
1
, partial and artificial mummifica-
tion
2
), the purpose and time of mummification (from prehistoric mummies
to 19
th
and 2O
th
centurv modern mummies), and the place where thev
were found (natural niches, churches, catacombs, etc.).
Mummified bodies of saints make up a verv specific and distinctive
cate,orv amon, the luropean mummies. As the term mummified" can
be applied to anv bodv part that still displavs preserved soft tissue after a
lon, postmortem interval (Aufderheide, 2OO3, lvnnerup, 2OO7), the non-
skeletal bodv parts of Saints (re||u|ce),scattered all around the world, can
also be defined as fra,ments of mummies. ln this respect, this cate,orv of
mummies would be one of the lar,est in lurope. However, todav the term
is still bein, applied mostlv to corpses preserved in their entiretv.
Consequentlv, this article is limited to completelv preserved bodies hosted
in the church of St Blaise in Vodnjan.
1he preserved remains of saints can be ,rouped into three main time
periods: the Roman period, the Middle A,es, and modern times (19
th
and
2O
th
centurv). While the remains belon,in, to the Roman times consist
mostlv of skeletal bodv parts of martvrs buried in catacombs and churches,
medieval saints are more often found in a mummified state. 1hese bodies
were subjected to artificial mummification and make a specific cate,orv of
preserved saints' bodies (lulcheri, 1996). ln the 19
th
and 2O
th
centurv, indi-
vidual mummification was customarilv performed on the bodies of reli,ious
leaders - popes and patriarchs (Qui,lev, 2OO6). 1he reasons for mummifica-
tion chan,ed with time, but shared one ,oal: to preserve reli,ious conscious-
ness amon, people and to facilitate the spread of Christianitv in lurope. ln
fact, even thou,h in past church authorities prohibited dissections and
autopsies, thev supported artificial preservation of the corpses of some eccle-
siastical fi,ures. Accordin, to lulcheri (1996), this was done to facilitate
transfer and prolon, displav of the corpses (preventin, in this wav natural
1
Basque mummies of saints, Portu,uese cler,v mummies, bo, bodies, Austrian catacomb mummies,
Austrian salt mummies, ice mummies of the northern countries, lrish catacomb mummies, Mound
People Mummies, manv ltalian mummies
2
Mummies of Spanish bishops, lranciscan friars from Basel, mummies of historical fi,ures, Allen
Burn's mummies from Scotland, Catacomb mummies" from Palermo, certain bodies from the
Abbev of St Domenico Ma,,iore, certain mummies of ltalian Saints
133
decomposition to take place in front of a crowd of devout people).
Mummification was often kept secret to present the preserved bodies as the
stron,est evidence of Ood's ,race and power, and to prolon, veneration of
the saints - :|e ||, |ncrru:|||e. later, a corpse was not deemed incorrupt-
ible if it had sustained anv tvpe of preservation procedure. Another practical
effect of mummification in medieval times was the production of relics
obtained from bodv parts durin, mummification. A ,reat number of relics
obtained bv evisceration of the bodv was later distributed amon, Catholic
churches and communities all around lurope to maintainin, stron, the
presence of the Catholic Church in different communities.
However, mummification of the ,reat majoritv of medieval saints was
spontaneous (natural). 1his can be attributed to the favourin, microcli-
mate of churches and catacombs where the corpses were placed. Part of
the mummified saints was preserved thanks to balms used durin burial
that enhanced natural mummification. Althou,h there was no explicit
intention to mummifv these remains, the final result was a preserved,
mummified" bodv, whose preservation was consequentlv considered
miraculous.
1herefore it is reasonable to expect the lar,est number of mummified
saints to be concentrated in ,eo,raphic areas that were under a stron,
Catholic influence in the past. ltalv has the lar,est amount of preserved
saints' bodies. ltalian researchers are buildin, and updatin, a database of
ltalian saint mummies, which now includes over 12 whole bodies and
hundreds of relics (l. lulcheri, personal communication, 2OO9).
Mummified corpses of saints can also be found in Spain and Portu,al
(Aufderheide, 2OO3), althou,h in much smaller numbers.
However, international literature rarelv mentions mummified corpses
kept in Croatia. 1hese add to the world's ,reat collection of mummies and
are important scientificallv, historicallv and reli,iouslv. Croatia is a Central
luropean countrv located at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain,
Southeast lurope, and the Mediterranean Sea. lts western areas borderin,
with ltalv, include the lstrian Peninsula, the Kvarner Bav, and the mountain
re,ion of Oorski kotar. 1he Kvarner Bav and lstria make the Northern
Croatian littoral. Bein, close to ltalv and sharin, historical circumstances
were crucial for the arrival of mummies to the Croatian territorv, which were
all transferred from ltalv, where mummification was quite popular in the
Middle A,es (lornaciari, 199o). ln 1o1o, painter Oaetano Oresler brou,ht
a collection of mummified bodies to Vodnjan from Venice (Del 1on, 1929),
savin, them from the perils of the lrench Revolution that was followed bv
131
an equallv si,nificant revolution in funerarv customs in ltalv and throu,hout
lurope (Salice, 2OO6). 1he bodies were transferred to the church of St Blaise
in Vodnjan, and from then on thev became the svmbol of the town and an
important reli,ious spot for the pious people of the re,ion.
$1,1752'8&7,21727+(0800,),('6$,1762)7+(1257+(51
&52$7,$1/,7725$/
1he northern Croatian littoral counts three complete mummified
corpses preserved in the Church of St Blaise in Vodnjan. ln addition, the
church keeps three partial mummified remains (belon,in, to St Barbara,
St Sebastian, and St Marv of l,vpt) and over 29O relics (Skrobonja 2OO9,
Skrobonja c Kurtovic, 2OO6), mostlv skeletal remains of over 25O saints,
makin, Vodnjan the bi,,est sacral collection in Croatia (Jelenic 2OO1).
1he preserved bodies (Cr| Scn:|) cover quite a lar,e medieval period,
Blessed leon Bembo dates to 11oo, St Oiovanni lini to 13OO, and St
Nicolosa Bursa to 1512.
1his article is limited to an introductorv overview of the saints, it
places them in their historical context, includin, ha,io,raphic data, infor-
mation and le,ends about their burial and preservation.
1he mummies of Vodnjan belon, to the medieval period when mum-
mification was becomin, more and more popular. However, there is no
written evidence that anv mummification procedure was performed on
the corpses of Vodnjan. All the bodies had been transferred from their
ori,inal burial location where thev were also preserved. 1here are onlv
va,ue indications as to where these ori,inal locations are, which limits our
insi,ht into the nature of their preservation.
1he corpse of St Nicolosa Bursa (li,ure 1) is currentlv placed in a
wooden coffin datin, back to the seventeenth centurv. 1he bodv is
dressed in a monastic dress with a floral ,arland on the head. nlv the
head, hands, and feet are available for external examination, showin, a
hi,h de,ree of preservation and clumsv subsequent attempts to keep it
that wav. 1hese attempts were made to prevent the loss of facial parts,
nose in particular. Alon, with the bodv, the coffin contains the abbess's
rod and a document attestin, to St Nicolosa's appointment as Abbess,
si,ned bv the Patriarch Antonio Surian in 15O5.
A number of bio,raphical data make it possible to reconstruct the life of
St Nicolosa Bursa, born in Koper (Slovenia). ln 1165 (probablv in her ado-
135
lescence), she started servin, as a nun in the Benedictine monasterv of St
Servolo in Venice and then became Mother Superior of a monasterv near
the Church of St John lateran, where she died in 1512. le,end has it that
Nicolosa Bursa performed manv miraculous deeds in her lifetime. Althou,h
her bodv could have been naturallv mummified, there are indications that
can link her preservation to the ltalian tradition of artificial mummification
of reli,ious personalities, Nicolosa lived in the times when most of the arti-
ficial mummifications were performed (between the 11
th
and late 15
th
cen-
turv (lulcheri, 1996)). ln addition, of all people, nuns were most often
subjected to mummification procedures, mostlv belon,in, to the ltalian
re,ion of Umbria and 1uscanv (lulcheri, 1996, lornaciari et al., 2OOo).
However, there is no written evidence to confirm this. Moreover, witnesses
of the period described burials as havin, been performed in the common
convent crvpt located near an aqueduct, whose microclimate was probablv
humid and inappropriate for preservation. After the bodv was found com-
pletelv preserved in 1526, it was transferred to a stone sarcopha,us in the
li,ure 1 - St Nicolosa Bursa
S|||c 1. Ste:c ||||zc urzc
(Photo bv / :: Ante Skrobonja)
136
Monasterv of St Anna. ther openin,s of the sarcopha,us followed, and
evidenced each time the same state of preservation (Jelenic, 2OOO).
Accordin, to le,end, at the first openin, of the tomb of Nicolosa Bursa, a
pleasant fra,rance exuded from the bodv, evidencin, to the believers the
divine reco,nition of the saint. ln realitv, this points to the use of un,uents
and spices at the burial, which probablv helped to preserve the bodv. 1his
case reminds of the mummv from Orottarossa. When the bodv of the
mummv from Orottarossa was discovered, it emanated an aromatic odour
that was later determined to be un|erus, confirmin, that the mummv was
embalmed (Ascenzi c Bianco, 199o).
St Oiovanni lini (li,ure 2) is displaved in the Church of St Blaise as
a well-conserved bodv dressed in priest ,arments. 1here is also the Bull of
Pope Boniface lX, who ordered the bodv to be examined and determined
whether or not to approve its public worship because the mvsterious
preservation of a bodv must not become the motive of its veneration".
li,ure 2 - St Oiovanni lini
S|||c 2. Ste:| tcn ||n|
(Photo bv / :: Ante Skrobonja)
137
Oiovanni lini was born in 1215. Durin, his life he was addressed as
1he livin, Saint" due to his commitment to the care of the sick and poor
durin, epidemics. Althou,h he was in close contact with the moribund
and diseased, he died of natural causes" at the a,e of o5. Shortlv after his
burial at the cemeterv of St Sebastian, his corpse was transferred to a
marble sarcopha,us in a church near the monasterv of St lawrence, allow-
in, people to pav tribute to him. Here the bodv was for,otten until 139o
when it was rediscovered in a state of complete preservation. 1he fact that
people started to treat the unknown" bodv as the bodv of a saint induced
Pope Boniface lX to initiate the process of reco,nition of the bodv. 1he
task was ,iven to Ms,r lrancesco Bembo, who eventuallv attested that the
mummv belon,ed to Oiovanni lini, makin, it possible for canonization
to start (Jelenic, 2OOO).
Blessed leon Bembo (li,ure 3) is the third mummv in the church of
Vodnjan. As with the corpses of St Nicolosa Bursa and Oiovanni lini, onlv
facial structures are available for inspection, showin, an avera,e state of
preservation. 1he bodv is dressed in the vestments of a bishop with a mitre
that, however, does not belon, to the period in which leon Bembo lived.
leon Bembo was born at the turn of the 12
th
centurv in Venice, where
he had served as a priest at the Dod,e's Palace until his appointment as
ambassador to Svria, where he was afterwards elected bishop. After his
death in the St lawrence's monasterv in 11oo, his bodv was transferred (bv
demand of Mons Oiovanni Polani) to a marble sarcopha,us inside the cata-
combs of the church of St Sebastian. 1he sarcopha,us was first opened in
12O7 and the bodv of leon Bembo was found intact (Jelenic, 2OOO).
An interestin, bio,raphic fact that mav prove useful for subsequent
research on the bodv is that leon Bembo, durin, the reli,ious riots of the
time, suffered from torture that procured him multiple fractures. Alle,edlv,
these healed with no medical assistance and made leon Bembo unreco,niz-
able to people. Also of interest is the relation of the saint with the female
convent of St Servolo (the convent where Nicolosa Bursa served as a nun)
where, until his death, he had spent much of his time helpin, the nuns.
&21&/86,21
At the time of the presentation of this studv at the lirst Bolzano
Mummv Con,ress, no biomedical/paleopatholo,ical research on the
corpses of Vodnjan had vet be,un. However, in 2OO9 a Commission for the
Protection and Presentation of Mummies and Relics of the Church of St
13o
Blaise was established in Vodnjan that included representatives of the
town of Vodnjan, church authorities, and specialist archaeolo,ists, conser-
vators, and phvsicians. 1he Croatian Conservation lnstitute initiated a
project to determine the sta,e of decav and dama,e to the bodies in order
to plan necessarv actions for their preservation. ln the month that fol-
lowed, the corpses were moved to a new reliquarv theca and ima,ed usin,
computed tomo,raphv (results pendin, publication).
1o this dav, as in the past, manv limitin, factors are slowin, down the
pace of research. lirst, the mummies had been unknown to the ,eneral
public for a verv lon, time. Althou,h known to the locals, thev were first
introduced to the ,eneral public in 1976. 1he lack of interest of compe-
tent institutions has mostlv been associated with lack of funds that the
Commission tried to surmount. 1he reli,ious factor mav also be slowin,
down research. 1hese mummies are visited bv a lar,e number of pil,rims
vear-round. Reli,ious people venerate the preserved bodies, Cr| Scn:|,
assi,nin, to them supernatural and healin, powers. 1his cult stems from
their state of preservation, which is believed to evidence divine interven-
tion, and from a number of miraculous healin,s that have been attributed
li,ure 3 - Blessed leon Bembo (courtesv of Ms,r Marijan Jelenic, parish priest
of the Church of St Blaise in Vodnjan)
S|||c 3. |czen| en em| (|u|cznscu t|. Mcr|cnc le|en|cc, zun||c cr|te
St. |czc u VJncnu)
139
to the bodies. 1he fear of losin, this mvstical and divine dimension of the
corpses mav obstruct further scientific research.
1he ,reatest impediment to proper paleopatholo,ical and biomedical
investi,ation, however, is the pro,ressin, decav of the bodies due to inad-
equate conditions (li,htin,, wormholes, visitors, ,reat and sudden tem-
perature oscillations).
1he importance of biomedical research is evident. Mummies of saints
are insi,nificant for a ,roup/population analvsis but important as individ-
ual cases (lulcheri, 1996). A scientific studv of these bodies would not
onlv help to reveal the real nature of their mummification but, in case it
was artificial, point out differences in mummification methods used over
different historical epochs. Additional paleopatholo,ical research could
possiblv determine the cause of death of these saints, attest to mutilations
or anv si,n of torture suffered bv the saints (Bl. leon Bembo), confirm
them as the cause of death, and/or attest to the presence of patho,ens and
patholo,ies. Proper bioarchaeolo,ical research would also help to update
the existin, bio,raphical records of the saints with new osteobio,raphical
data ,ained from the remains of the mummies and skeletal relics.
5()(5(1&(6
1. Ascenzi, A. c P. Bianco (199o): 1he Roman mummv of Orottarossa - Pp. 263-
266 in Cockburn, A., l. Cockburn, 1A. Revman (eds.): Mummies, Disease c
Ancient Cultures , Cambrid,e (Universitv Press).
2. Aufderheide, A.C. (2OO3): 1he Scientific Studv of Mummies - 6Oo pp.,
Cambrid,e (Universitv Press).
3. Del 1on, O. (1929): Cenni storici sui Corpi Santi di Di,nano -27 pp, Parenzo.
1. lornaciari, A., V. Oiuffra, S. Marvelli, O. lornaciari (2OOo): 1he blessed
Christina from Spoleto: a case of 15
th
centurv artificial mummv from Umbria
(central ltalv). - Pp. 521-527 in Mummies and Science World Mummies
Research: Proceedin,s of the Vl World Con,ress on Mummv Studies.
5. lornaciari, O. (199o): ltalian Mummies -Pp. 266-2o1 in Cockburn, A., l.
Cockburn, 1.A. Revman (eds.): Mummies, Disease c Ancient Cultures,
Cambrid,e (Universitv Press).
6. lulcheri, l. (1996): Mummies of Saints: a particular cate,orv of ltalian mum-
mies. -Pp. 219-23O in Spindler, K., H. Wilfin,, l. Rastbichler-zisserni,, D.
zuNedden (eds.): Human Mummies: A ,lobal Survev of their Status and the
1echniques of Conservation, Wien (Sprin,er).
11O
7. Jelenic, M. (2OOO): Miracle in Vodnjan (in Croatian) - pp.52 , Vodnjan (zupni
ured Vodnjan).
o. - (2OO1): 1he ,allerv of the Oreats (in Croatian)- 399pp , Vodnjan (zupni ured
Vodnjan).
9. lvnnerup, N. (2OO7): Mummies. - Am J Phvs Anthropol 15: 162-19O.
1O. Qui,lev, C. (2OO6): Modern Mummies: 1he Preservation of the Human Bodv in
the 1wentieth Centurv- 271 pp., Jefferson (Mclarland c Co).
11. Salice, A. (2OO6): ltalv-secularization -Pp. 27o-279 in Davies, DJ.c lewis, HM.
(eds.): lncvclopedia of Cremation, Burlin,ton (Ash,ate Publishin,).
12. Skrobonja, A. (2OO9): Anatomical ldentification of Relics of Disease Patron
Saints Kept in the Church of St. Blaise in Vodnjan (in Croatian). - Medicus
1o:259-265.
13. Skrobonja, A., Kurtovic, M. (2OO6): Contribution to the anthropolo,ical treat-
ment of the relic in the church of St. Blaise in Vodnjan (in Croatian).- Medicus
15,315-319.
6$(7$.
s:crs|| rcJ VJncn utc z||r|u mum|j|c|rcn|| :|e|c ste:ccc | re|||t|c. Tr| mum|j|c|rcne
re|||t|e :un su utcnc :|e|c ||. enc em|c, st. tcnc ||ns| | st. ||||ze urze,
J| su res:c|e :r| mum|j|c|rcne re|||t|e ne:un| s:cc| st. cr|cre, st. Se|cs:|cnc |
st. Mcr|e |c:s|e.
C|cnc| Jce re|eJ :r|u |m|e:n scutcn|| :|e|c, reJs:ct|cuc| n||t tcns| s:cne
| utcns:, |c|rcjs|e Jc:|e, |zcte |z tremenc rnc|cs|c mum|c :e ||:eze |e ||
c||cnc zncns:tenc cnc||zc m|c rcst|e:||:|. c| |m :cmsne s:cntn|s:t r|Jce ncJnc-
rctne mc| | smc:rc n||t utcne |zcns||m Je|m, n||t e Jr|e:| ncterc:n|e
eJnc| |c | s:c||| mum|c ste:ccc |e se utcu u Jru|m eurs||m cr|tcmc. DJc:nc
c|ec:|s|c |s:rcz|tcnc m|c || rcst|e:||:| uzr| smr:| ste:ccc || su umr|| r|rJnm
smrcu, u:trJ|:| mu:||cc|e | :rcume ncs:c|e :|e|m muenc | :trJ|:| || |c uzr| smr:|.
C||cnc | strs|s|Jnc ||cr|e|s|c cnc||zc ncJun||c || scJcsne sznce | ||rcjs|e
Jc:|e.
.OMXQHULMHL stec|, mum|c, c|ec:||c, ||cr|e||c, sreJn| t|e|, s:rc
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to thank Msgr Marijan Jeleni for allowing them to make a
visual inspection of the bodies and take photographs that witness to their state of
preservation.
Special thanks goes to Nadja Komneni who assisted in the proofreading of the
manuscript.

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