Thursday, July 26, 2018

My name is Kyler Hirte and I'm studying Criminal Justice at Western Oregon University. I just finished my fourth year of school and walked in the Spring. This is my last class requirements for my degree and I could not be happier to such an amazing place studying at fascinating field. So far the people are great, the food is better, and the curriculum is captivating. 

Kyler

Today we went to the Crypt Coachman in Palermo, which is only a few blocks away from the city center. Palermo, to the outside of the church. However, once inside the church above the crypt, we were all amazed at the beauty inside the church. There was excellent artwork surrounding the pews and beautiful architecture all around. After some admiration for the church, we were led into the crypt down below.

The Coachman crypt

I noticed immediately. First of all, with Jesus in the corners.

The second thing I had been used to house all the mummies, once the embalming procedures had been finished. Later we would find out that they had to be sheltered from bombings. 

The last thing I had caught was a large hole in the middle of the room. Mummies to be laid down.

The tour guides told us that in this crypt, at least when the crypt was actively being used, that there was a hierarchy of mummy placement and that the closer the mummies were religious ladder.

The niches

Where we had walked down, we were a couple of important features. One was that there were open ossuaries in the floor that were covered only by a grate. The visible remains were mostly made up of skulls and skull. In the purgatory, pleading to Saint Mary to let the souls go to heaven. The tour guide described it as one of the most important paintings in Palermo.

The preparation room

Soon after, we went into the embalming chamber which revealed the whole reason why we were there. In the small room, it was several shelves that were used for housing people who had recently died. But they were one of the key differences, there were pipes in the shelf that led to the outside of the church above. The pipes were unique and helped the mummification process in a positive way.

Hung out and eaten at a few restaurants for lunch and dinner. 

The ossuary