The study of saints is a fascinating subject. From their lives to their deaths, there is never a dull moment. As it so happens, a lot can happen to their bodies after they have been dead for a few hundred years.
1. Buried In The Wall
In 1933, during the restoration of the Church of the Blessed Savior in Sicily, the workmen discovered what sounded like an empty space in the walls. The workers opened up the wall and discovered the skeletal remains of a female.
The church immediately went into research mode and discovered that it was the body of Saint Gaudenzia. She had been lost and forgotten for 134 years.
2. Total Body Makeover
Saint Rosalina’s body was once in great condition, but after 500 years of being displayed, she was finally showing signs of decay. Her corpse was removed from public display and Pope Pius looked for someone who would be capable of restoring the saint’s body.
Pius found just the man, Dr. Neri, and un 1912 the saint’s body was restored and given a touch of color to make her as attractive as a mummified corpse can be.
3. Bits And Pieces
A New York Reverend Father was so enthralled with the First Jean Baptist that he asked a friend to grab a piece of the Saint from Rome for him back in 1893. The monseigneur agreed and was able to get the Reverend Father a two inch chunk of the saint for the N.Y. church.
4. Encased In Gold And Gems
In Russia, 1903, the Czar visited the desert shrine of Saint Seraphim. Apparently the men at the monastery peeked in on the saint that had died 100 years previously and they found his body to be in perfect condition. The saint was to be glorified and the Czar had a coffin made out of gold and gems for the saint. The Czarina made the coverings with her own hands.
It was such a huge event that hotels were built in anticipation of the glorification of the saint and the arrival of the Czar. The roads leading to the monastery were fixed and soldier barracks were built to house the soldiers needed to keep the peace,
5. Ended The Drought
Faced with drought and the war in Cuba, Madrid did the only thing it could in 1896. The church and the military popped out the remains of Saint Isidor, patron saint of Madrid, and paraded her remains down the road. Over 150,000 people lined the roads to watch the procession and to pray for divine favor, which they then got when the rains hit the city and surrounding areas.
6. Kissing Mummified Feet
In 1952, New Delhi, the body of Saint Francis Xavier was shown to the public for the last time. Doctors came to see the body and marveled at how well preserved the body was while people from all walks of life came to kiss the mummified feet of the saint.
7. Lost And Found
During an Allied air raid in France on an airstrip used by the Germans in 1948, the lost body of Saint Geldouin was uncovered in a small nearby church. Apparently the saint’s body was hidden in this small church during the French Revolution and was forgotten for 150 years. Upon being rediscovered, it was reburied in St. Peter’s Church.
8. Removed And Burned
During the Spanish civil war in 1937, the “Spanish Reds” attacked and killed three Franciscan monks at Villarreal. They also upped the body of Saint Paschal Baylon and burned it.
Saint Paschal Baylon was born in 1540 and lived as a shepherd during his youth. He eventually joined the Franciscan monks and helped to defend his beliefs against the Calvinists.
9. Saintly Jeep Ride
In 1944, two Canadian soldiers in Italy gave a Franciscan monk much needed help. The monk’s little church was in ruins, but he had managed to rescue the remains of Saint Lorenzo of Villa Magna. The 450-year-old remains were loaded onto the soldiers’ jeep and transported them to safety.
